A MAN who battled with homelessness for nearly 20 years before conquering his addictions has said he “can’t explain the loneliness” of spending Christmas without a home.
Rodney Lyall is a familiar face on the streets of Bournemouth, Boscombe and Poole as a prominent Big Issue seller. However, for 16 years he lived in a graveyard battling with a drug and alcohol addiction.
Born into a dysfunctional home, Rodney was raised in an orphanage before being taken in by a foster family. Soon after, funding for his care stopped and he was forced onto the streets at the age of 17.
He told the Echo: “I had a job at the time at a supermarket. It was a good job and I was working my way up to becoming a manager. Then the funding stopped and I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t afford a place of my own at that point and that was it, I was on my own.”
Newcastle-born Rodney eventually made his way to the south coast, sleeping in St Peter’s Church graveyard for 16 years while drinking heavily.
He said that graveyards were the “safest place” to sleep as people rarely ventured inside them after dark.
Soon after, mental health problems took a hold of Rodney who was sectioned at St Ann’s Hospital in Poole – admitting he was a danger to himself.
But after treatment and referrals to counsellors, Rodney was able to turn his life around by selling the Big Issue and paying for psychotherapist sessions. He got himself off the streets by saving for a deposit on a flat in 2012 where he still lives today.
However, he also spoke about the hardships faced by homeless people at Christmas time. He said: “Christmas time is lonely, I really can’t explain the loneliness, it’s horrible.
“You see everybody walk past you enjoying themselves and you feel as though you’re in a fish bowl looking out. The loneliness can be unbelievable and impossible to bear, which is another reason why I drank – it was an escape.”
He said this was made even harder when he remembered the “loving” Christmases spent in his orphanage as a child.
The 51-year-old recommended people who sleep rough in the BCP region contact the council who he said have been “brilliant” at getting homeless people off the streets.
He added: “I would urge anyone to get themselves into a refuge as the council are doing a good job in putting people up now. They’ve been good to me as they’ve been helping pay my rent for 10 years.
“I think if you try to help yourself, they will try to help you. Helping yourself takes a lot of courage but it’s absolutely worth it.”
Rodney will spend this Christmas with a colleague and friend from the Big Issue and has urged residents to respect homeless people in the area.
He said: “I think some people ignore us because they don’t want to face or acknowledge homelessness. There are a lot of good people about who are in that situation for a reason.
“To be ignored, or to be name called can be soul destroying. I would encourage people to help because we can all be in that situation one day.”
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