Donald's story

After years of success on stage and screen, Donald lost his passion for his career and in his disillusionment and frustration began drinking too much. As his life spiralled out of control he lost work, his confidence in himself and his flat and found himself living in squats and on the street.

“I had been in the business for years and years, but I started to feel disillusioned. My passion had gone…I started to drink more and I became more and more isolated. I stopped seeing my friends and making contact with my agent.

"I got into so much debt that I had to sell my flat. Sometimes I lived in squats, sometimes on the streets.”

Not in priority housing need

Like many of the homeless people that Crisis helps, Donald did not qualify for emergency accommodation or get other help from because he was not considered to be ‘in priority need’.

His life started to turn around for the better again when he met someone at a London homelessness charity who believed in him and gave him accommodation.

How Crisis helped recover self-esteem

Donald’s journey to recovering his self-esteem continued at Crisis, where he has used his abilities to work with members to help them build their confidence through drama. He is now positive about the future.

“Every time I come to Crisis I grow. I feel lucky. It really does go to show that if someone really believes in you, anything is possible.”

You can also watch Donald tell his story on a short video.