Between January 1995 and September 1997 I lived and worked in London in three Shaftesbury Society homeless hostels (Kilburn NW6, Camberwell SE5, and Bermondsey SE1).
Although I wasn’t paid much, I loved it. As an assistant group worker, I was paid around £40 per week (that would be around £80 today, given inflation), until I was promoted to group worker after my first few months. From that £40 I needed to buy myself a zones 1 and 2 travelcard which ate £13.80 deeper into my weekly budget. I worked with some great people, got to explore a lot of central London on foot and with my travelcard, worked a crazy nine-day shift pattern and got a ton of life experience.
Some of those experiences have remained with me, like one memorable evening’s walk home.
Continue reading Meeting a man on Southwark Street
