A difficult childhood, followed by years of addiction, homelessness and mental health problems, 50-year-old George Smith has had his fair share of ups and downs. But after 25 years of living on the edge, George has turned his life around. And, through Riverside’s GROW trainee programme, he’s using his own experience to help others. This is George’s story.

Lyreco have been amazing in supporting the Street Engagement Hub by using their social value commitment to employ George. Without this commitment George would not have a job and the Street Engagement Hub would not have capacity to see so many vulnerable people, as there would not have been enough staff to cope with the demand.

New year, new beginnings: that’s just what Craig Holmes from Liverpool was thinking on 1st January 2013. But some devastating news was to come. It would trigger a chain of events that would see Craig estranged from his family, homeless and suicidal. Here he tells us what happened and how things are starting to get

Read how Riverside’s GROW (Giving Real Opportunities for Work) programme started Laura’s career in housing.

‘A’ is an Armed Forces veteran and self-referred to Op Fortitude when he was facing numerous challenges in his life. Read his story here.

‘T’ was referred into Op Fortitude by a medical charity after he was left homeless after spending months in hospital and losing his property. Read their story.

Chris started as a GROW Project Assistant at Rose Brae and was offered a permanent role as a Project Worker after only four months. Read his story…