Ex-homeless man's thanks to Hucknall heroes who got him off the streets

Andrew, who could often be seen outside the Tesco store on Ashgate Road, has moved into a property found by the All Saints homeless shelter in Nottingham.

The property has been kitted out with donations from local good Samaritans.

It is the end result of several months of effort by Julia Lindo, a volunteer with the homelessness charity Reach Out, Kathy Sheldon, and other supporters.

And Andrew says he cannot thank the people of Hucknall enough for all they have done.

He said: “The people of Hucknall have been just amazing, I’m so grateful to them.

"When I ended up on the streets, I was just falling through the system, it wasn’t working for me at all.

"But Julia and Reach Out came along and did so much for me and saved me and I just want to thank them so much for that.

"People have been great in Hucknall, they were just fantastic and I just want to say how much I appreciate them.

Andrew found himself on the streets after the home he thought he had secured turned out to be condemned as unfit for habitation.

As he continued to drift through the system, he ended up on the streets for what he believed was at last 18 months.

But it was then that Julia and the people of Hucknall came to his aid.

Julia found emergency accommodation for Andrew and then immediately began working on a more lasting solution.

An online appeal raised enough money to get Andrew into a hotel, and then the bond guarantee for a flat found by the All Saints homeless shelter in Nottingham

Andrew continued: “Julia and Kathy and the people of Hucknall did more for me in three months than the national system did in a year.

"It’s just been amazing and so have my own place and roof over my head has just made such a difference to me.

"Being able to cook, be warm, have a shower, use the toilet, just everything like that and it’s all down to the generosity of people of Hucknall.”

Fundraising to help Andrew continues, to donate, email Julia Lindo at [email protected].