Former tenant
Colin's story
“I had given up on life and it felt like life had given up on me.”
I don't think words can do any justice to explain how The Arch helped me get my life back. Substance abuse had taken pretty much everything from me, leaving me homeless and without a friend in the world.
I remember my first day at The Arch clearly. I was a very scared, unhealthy, broken little boy without a voice. She treated me like a human being for the first time in a very long time. She didn't judge me for my past and only cared about how to help me.
From the Manager to the volunteers, every single person I encountered in The Arch helped me step by step. I made friends for the first time in years and found a place that I could call home. My support worker inspired me to follow my true passion in life by returning to climbing — returning to the Pyrenees was a milestone in my recovery.
Six years after leaving The Arch I have found myself living in New York City, happily married, successfully running my own business and travelling through the United States. I am grateful every single day for the help that The Arch provided me.