A former rough sleeper who spent time bedding down in doorways is now working to power the NHS through the coronavirus crisis.
Jon Kelly, 30, was forced to stay on friends’ sofas and sleep rough after leaving his family home when he turned 18.
At his lowest point, Jon stood on a bridge and thought about jumping off.
But when he typed ‘easiest way to die’ into his phone, he found a number for the Samaritans - a moment which changed his life for the better.
Jon is now one of the latest apprentices to be hired as a junior software developer by EMIS Health - the UK’s biggest health tech company.
Its software powers frontline NHS services, including GP surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies and workers are playing a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jon says: “It’s interesting, because I used NHS apps to help me when I was struggling with anxiety and depression – and now I am on the other side of it and working on software to help the NHS to help people.”
It was the death of his mother that was the catalyst for Jon’s struggles.
Originally from Manchester, he moved to Bolton when he was young and suffered with anxiety and depression after his mum died when he was 13.
He found some stability when he moved into a flat with his partner at the age of 20 and started working for a wildlife charity, which he enjoyed.
But Jon found himself homeless again when the relationship broke down four years later.
“It was around then that I was at my lowest,” he says.
“I just slept on park benches and in doorways and would try and find a sofa if the weather was particularly bad.”
Jon was able to get off the streets thanks to a Bolton Council scheme and began a new job in a call centre, but he struggled to find contentment in his new role, adding to his anxiety and depression.
He says: “I was grateful to have a roof over my head and I dreaded going back on the streets, but the job itself was affecting my mental health.
“One day I stood on a bridge and thought about jumping off.
“I’m terrified of heights and couldn’t do it, so I pulled out my phone and typed in ‘easiest way to die’. The first thing that came up was a number for the Samaritans.
“I just clicked on it and ended up speaking to a really great guy for around two hours. He helped me through the storm of feelings in my head and encouraged me to go to a meeting the next day – which I did. I have all the love in the world for the Samaritans for helping me
that day.”
Less than a year later, Jon took the decision to leave his call centre job and start looking for new opportunities.
He was eventually given a place on a Code Nation course, where he learned about software and coding – and had the chance to apply for an apprenticeship with EMIS Health.
The company has set up an apprenticeship programme to tackle the tech industry’s skills gap and to encourage more people to consider software development as a career.
Jon says he “bent over backwards” to get onto the apprenticeship course.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so focussed,” he says. “This was the first time since I was 18 that I felt like what I was doing could end in a career.”
Jon Kelly, who lives in Astley Bridge, Bolton, is now working as a junior software developer at EMIS Health’s Bolton office in Middlebrook.
“It sounds dramatic, but I wouldn’t be here today without this apprenticeship and the help of the Samaritans,” he says.
“Even when I got off the streets, I was working in a job that didn’t fulfil me and wasn’t great for my mental health.
“It’s strange how powerful an apprenticeship can be. It’s taken me from looking into a subject I knew nothing about to feeling like I’ve got this fantastic career ahead of me. It really empowered me when I felt I had nothing.”
He adds: “It’s challenging, but I enjoy it. I’ve spent 15 years of my life being unhappy, and now I am happy. For the first time I’m looking to the future, and I’m excited about it.”
Jacqui Summons, group HR director at EMIS Health, said: “There’s often a perception that apprenticeships are a ‘young person’s game’, mostly aimed at teenagers who are keen to start earning money and as an alternative to university or further education.
“The reality is that apprenticeships are a ‘re-education’, designed to give people of all ages and all walks of life the opportunity to retrain for a role they have the passion and drive for, but might lack all of the required skills.
“Jon has had quite the journey, but he is a real asset to our team.”
Find out more about apprenticeship opportunities at EMIS Health here.
