Name: Michael
Age: 48
Occupation: Big Issue vendor, Bristol
Income: Up to £100 a week
I’ve been homeless and addicted to drugs for most of my life. I started with pot and hallucinogenics and ended up mainly on heroin and crack. I wanted to try everything. I’d say “I won’t try that”, and then I did it anyway. I’ve done everything I said I wouldn’t.
In my 30s I was a functioning addict; I worked as a successful chef. But I lost my job when I was caught using drugs at work. I was in a relationship for about 12 years but when we split up I was back on the streets again, which caused me to relapse.
Being on the streets isn’t good when you’re trying to be clean. I’ve tried to be clean for a long time. I’m older and more mature now. I’ve been clean for about eight months.
The turning point was when an outreach worker found me sleeping in a car park in Clifton, Bristol, one morning. He offered me coffee, said that help was available if I wanted it, and that I could get a prescription for methadone.
Within 24 hours I had a prescription and he’d found me a place to sleep in an old council building that turns into emergency accommodation during the winter.
I’m now staying in a massive Salvation Army hostel, where I have my own room and bathroom. It costs me £25 a week, which includes bills and breakfast. There are a lot of people here. There are about 30 on my landing and there are four floors with a similar number. I keep myself to myself and spend a lot of time in my room.
There’s a shared kitchen at the end of my hallway but I’ve never seen anyone use it. A lot of places offer free food anyway. I have a fridge in my room. My food wouldn’t last five minutes if it was in a communal fridge.
I’ve been selling the Big Issue on and off for 15 years. I started again 11 months ago after a Big Issue worker saw me busking in the street and asked whether I’d like to become a vendor.
I’d split up with my partner and ended up homeless and wanted to make a living. It’s all right. I have a laugh. I meet people. I don’t have a boss. If I want to take the afternoon off to watch the football, I can. Or if I want to work 15 hours a day, I can.
I buy the magazine for £1.25 an issue and sell it for £2.50. Some people say “keep the change”. My pitch is on the harbour side in Bristol. I have a few regulars who buy it weekly. But a lot are holidaymakers and sightseers. I try and sell 10 to 15 magazines a day. I reckon I work about 50 hours a week and I’m lucky if I make £100 a week.
I do my grocery shopping daily as it depends on how many issues I’ve sold. I don’t do a weekly shop. If it’s a been a good day, I might buy steak and chips. If not, it’s a shit microwave meal. I spend £5 to £10 a day on food.
A lot of my money goes on tobacco. I buy two packets a week which costs about £25. Recently I saved up for about six weeks and bought myself a secondhand TV and PlayStation which cost about £50 each.
At the moment, I feel quite comfortable. I could sell more issues but money is a temptation for me anyway because of the drugs. I’ve been a successful chef in the past and am used to living on more, but it’s not that difficult on less; I don’t have huge overheads.
I would like my own place. I don’t care if it’s just a bedsit. I could return to catering. I was good at it but I didn’t enjoy it. It was a means to an end.
I really want to get into journalism. The Big Issue has lined up work experience for me at a local magazine. I’m hoping they’ll let me write an article. I’ve always wanted to get into journalism but I never got round to it. I’m hoping now’s my chance.
*Michael is not his real name. The Big Issue Group’s mission is to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity. As well as the Big Issue magazine, it has a social investment arm, Big Issue Invest and an online shop. The Big Issue Foundation is the charitable arm. www.bigissue.com
As told to Suzanne Bearne
