A homeless man has told how he went from a lavish lifestyle as the son of millionaires to life on the streets from the age of just 15.
Ryan Staffiere, 37, seemed to have it all as a privately educated as a schoolboy who went on holidays at cottages owned by his wealthy family.
But the self-described "good boy gone wrong" fell victim to drug and alcohol addiction, and has been sleeping rough in Truro, Cornwall, for much of the last 20 years.
Ryan admits he's no angel, telling CornwallLive he has 93 convictions on his record just months after he was in the news for demanding that police gave him a taxi ride home.
He said: “My parents were millionaires. My family owned holiday cottages and I went to a private school. I’m a good boy gone wrong.”
At the age of 11, he began smoking cannabis and throughout his teenage years experimented with drink and other drugs “as everyone does”. Four years later he was too much to handle.
“I was kicked out when I was 15,” he says.
“I’m not thick, I just love the party scene. Now I’ve been on the streets, on and off, for about 21 years."
At the St Petrocs resource centre in Truro, Ryan is a familiar face.
He has been banned from his mother's house and he has a 10-year-old little girl who he is not in contact with.
Her mother, Ryan's ex-partner, died from an overdose and his daughter currently lives with family members outside of Cornwall.
He dreams of a future with her, saying: “I want to get a little flat and get a dog and learn to drive. I want to get a job.
“When she grows up she can say my dad didn’t do well when he was younger but he’s tried his best.”
Ryan said his problems in life are all down to drink and drugs.
He added: “I was mixing with people that were using. It [drugs] became a serious problem in my 20s, more than the drink was.
“I had a few girlfriends and lived with them but I was still on the drink and drugs. They were toxic relationships.
“I was a heroin addict when I was 20. When I was 25 the crack cocaine came down here. I got into it and then it’s just been a downward spiral ever since.”
He has had a tough life on the streets, enduring cold and wet winters, and spending nights outside in car parks.
He said: “You just get used to it. It’s no different to being a sparrow. They live outside every day. They don’t moan about not having central heating. Someone gives him a pasty and he’s chuffed.
“The worst thing is getting wet. You have to know where to go when it’s raining to keep yourself dry."
For most, the festive period is a time to celebrate and Ryan is no exception.
“I love it,” he said. “People are so kind.”
But the kindness from others has got him into trouble.
He said: “Last Christmas I got banned from my mum’s house. Someone had given me a bottle of tequila, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of brandy. I drank them all that day. My mum wouldn't let me in.
"I still see them. They don’t like my lifestyle but they have me round for a cup of tea and cook me a meal."
He is vowing that this Christmas will be different. He is due to start rehab next month and his hoping it will be third time lucky.
He said: “I will be in rehab and spending Christmas with the homeless. That’s what I want to do."
Ryan has been given a room at a B&B and is taking various courses.
He said: “Two years ago I was happy injecting heroin and smoking crack. I couldn’t get a f**k that I was on the streets, I couldn’t see a future for me.
“The course have given me something to do and opened my eyes. There’s more to life than just existing.
“I’m not sat on the streets begging, trying to get a tenner for crack.
“I go shopping every week. That’s something I haven't done before. I buy myself new clothes.
“I’ve got courses lined up. I want to be an advocate for homeless people. I could take them to doctors appointments and things like that. I would volunteer at first but that’s what I want to do as a job.”
He was keen to share his story as part of CornwallLive’s campaign shining a light on the work carried out by St Petrocs.
“They do everything here” he said. “From the beginning to the end of your journey they help you in as many ways as possible.
“They have got me into rehab before. They have got me housed. They have got me food and clean clothes and a shower, absolutely everything you could possibly imagine.”
And he is urging people to think twice before judging others in his situation.
“I don’t want your money,” he said. “We all get tarnished with the same brush.
“There are addicts that do drugs and fund it out of their own pockets and junkies that rob old ladies and you all get thrown get thrown under the bus.
“You don’t need anything to be a nice person.”
