In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Andy Ward, a GP working with people experiencing homelessness in Leicester, and Kyra Biddle from Dear Albert’s Stairway Project, who brings her own lived experience of homelessness, addiction and recovery.
Kyra shares what happened when her family lost their home when she was just 14, how alcohol became a way of coping, and what it really means to live in survival mode.
We talk about the barriers people experiencing homelessness can face when trying to access healthcare, why appointments, medication and even apparently simple health advice can become almost impossible to navigate when you don’t have somewhere safe to live, and how stigma can destroy trust.
Andy explains how working in homeless healthcare changed the way he practises medicine, and why behaviour that can look “difficult” makes much more sense when you understand what someone may be living through.
But this is also a conversation about recovery. Kyra is now more than four years into her own recovery and uses her experience to support others. We talk about what helped her, why being listened to and treated as a human being matters, and how sometimes the beginning of recovery can be as simple as a cup of tea, a Hobnob and somewhere you feel welcome.
A conversation about homelessness, addiction, healthcare, recovery — and the importance of seeing the person in front of you.
You can contact Dear Albert here: https://www.dearalbert.co.uk
See the fantastic work of Inclusion Healthcare here: https://www.inclusionhealthcare.co.uk
