Two years ago, Lee Polanowski had just watched his friend die of an overdose in front of him. He performed CPR in a desperate bid to save his life.
Lee himself had a devastating £200-a-day crack and heroin habit, weighed just nine stone and had been homeless for many years.
He believes he might have been 'the biggest druggy in Birkenhead' at the time - and had tried to take his own life more times than he can recall.
Read more: Calls to extend Housing First programme
Today, just two years later, Lee is living in a flat overlooking the Mersey, has gone several weeks without taking any drugs - and spends most of his week making sandwiches and coffees at a local community centre.
He admits it is a truly remarkable turnaround and not one he saw coming.
When his friend died in a homeless hostel by his side, Lee, now 49, said fingers were pointed at him and he was told he had to leave the hostel the next day.
After heading out in the morning to buy more drugs, Lee was met by two men at the reception of the hostel as he returned to collect his things.
At the time, all Lee could think of was his next hit and when he could have it - he had no idea what this meeting would mean for his future.
The two men were from Housing First - a new homelessness initiative that had just been launched by the Liverpool City Region.
The government had funded three pilots in this region, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, which would take a different approach to helping to get people off the streets and move forwards with their lives.
In his election campaign, new Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram had cited the programme as being crucial to tackling homelessness and the combined authority had taken it on as a priority.
Speaking about that last night in the hostel, Lee said: "I'd been doing CPR on my mate for an hour, but sadly he died.
"The hostel staff were standing around looking at me, next thing I got a note saying I was being evicted the next day.
"But that was when I met the guys from Housing First."
Housing First differs from traditional homeless support in that it provides a home as the first response for people with multiple and complex needs.
It then provides individualised support to deal with issues such as addiction, mental and physical health issues and the effects of trauma and abuse.
A team of 45 staff work across the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region - the combined authority works in partnership with local councils and housing associations - with each case worker given small caseloads in order to offer intensive 1-2-1 unconditional support.
Lee has faced enormous battles with addiction and mental health throughout his life - and has dealt with more trauma than many could ever imagine.
Kicked out of his Liverpool home at 17, Lee made himself homeless, before managing to sort himself a flat.
But it was in his thirties when things took a disastrous turn and his life became consumed by anger, sadness - and drugs.
He explained: "My girlfriend got pregnant and that was the making of me, I've always wanted children.
"But at four and half months old, my daughter passed away. It destroyed me, I started self harming and tried to take my own life several times.
"I've been angry for 18 years now, I grieve every day for her. Every year I put flowers on her grave on her birthday.
"My life went downhill, I did have a job, but lost all that and ended up back on the streets."
Lee's coping mechanisms for his terrible loss included rage (he would end up in fights), self harm and drugs - both of which made him a regular at the local hospital.
He was homeless again and living in a tent in Birkenhead.
Lee said at his worst point he was spending £200 a day on crack and heroin - all of which he funded through begging, borrowing and stealing.
The day after his friend died and he met with Housing First, everything changed.
Lee said: "They got me into a bed and breakfast, they were looking after me from day one, phoning me up, checking I was ok. Then when a property finally turned up we went and viewed it together and I accepted it. They helped me furnish it.
"It's looking over the Mersey, its got lovely views. Things are looking up for me, I feel like I'm getting there."
"I love the place now, it feels like home - I'm happy to go home and I'm happy to grow old and grey there. I'm making an effort with the neighbours."
One of the distinctive aspects of Housing First, compared with some other programmes, is that once a person is housed they are assisted with intensive, tailored support based on their specific situations and needs - and it does this for as long as is needed.
Lee said his support worker is like his second mum, adding: "I love the bones of her, she's always checking up on me and I want to make her proud.
"I've had support workers and key workers through the hostels before, but they don't work like Housing First, they don't follow up with you and keep on top of how things are going."
Lee has kept his flat in New Ferry for a year now and for the past three months he has been volunteering at The Meeting Place, a Christian community centre in Birkenhead.
He has learnt how to make cappuccinos and lattes and his sandwiches go down a storm with guests.
Lee said: "I started off doing this one day a week, then two, now I'm here Tuesday to Saturday.
"It gets me out and about, mixing with the right kind of people and away from thinking about drugs - its all positive."
It's not just Lee who has seen his life transformed by Housing First in this region.
Housing First is currently supporting 194 individuals across the Liverpool City Region while Lee is one of 84 who is currently housed thanks to the programme.
But despite the success stories of the UK pilot scheme and the impact Housing First has made in countries like Canada, Finland and France - it faces an uncertain future here.
The pilot funding is due to come to an end in 2022 and, with no government commitment current forthcoming, there are real fears the scheme could come to an end.
Lee recently joined a zoom call with Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and his Greater Manchester and West Midlands counterparts Andy Burnham and Andy Street as they are all calling on the government to commit to funding the programmes in their own areas - and to extend it nationwide as policy.
Their call follows a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ending Homelessness which explains why Housing First should be scaled up across England as a way to end people’s homelessness.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: "“There has been an alarming rise in homelessness over the past decade, as austerity has stripped away many of the safety nets that some relied on. Through Housing First, we have shown that there is a better, more humane way of treating people.
“Instead of looking at statistics or targets to be met, we treat people as human beings. Rather than cutting them adrift, we offer them wraparound support to address their complex issues. And, instead of temporary solutions, we’re helping to break the homelessness cycle and change people’s lives forever.
“Unfortunately, the future of these Housing First pilots in the country is unclear. In partnership with mayors of other political persuasions, I am calling on the government to give Housing First sustainable, long-term funding and to work with us to help roll the scheme out across the country.”
Lee is as powerful an example as you could get of the success of this scheme in action.
He was at his lowest ebb when he was approached by Housing First, he was painfully thin, had lost his teeth and as he puts it 'was always off his head on drugs".
He was dealing with pain, severe mental health issues and had tried to take his own life.
But things have changed dramatically in those two years, he feels like he has been given another go at life - as well as holding down his flat and voluntary job he is thinking about learning to drive and pursuing his interest in photography.
While he knows he may have setbacks on his route to becoming free of drugs altogether, he now believes he has the proper support in place to rid him of the devastating habit that has dominated so much of his life.
He says all of this was only ever possible because of the Housing First approach and those working within it.
He said: "I think people see me differently now, I look different and I feel different.
"These guys don't judge you, they work with you and help you to help yourself, it's up to you to get clean but you can do it with their help, that's the path I'm on."
"I feel as if I'm doing something good with my life now, instead of just existing."
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