A story for our times..

A nudge in the right direction.. 

Off The Fence Trust was set up by Paul and Wendy Young in 1997 as part of a three-pronged attack on inequality and poverty in Brighton & Hove.

Our Antifreeze Homeless Project intervenes on behalf of  and supports rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove. Typically, we will work with between 200-300 a year and meet with each person a number of times. This year under the new management of Laurel Nathan Antifreeze has become a springboard for life change and hope revival. This has been achieved through greater individual mentoring.

This is the story of Terry (not his real name).

Terry has been an Antifreeze client for more years than he or we can remember.

Is that a bad thing? No, not when you hear about the struggles he’s had to negotiate over the years. Life on the streets has taken its toll. He’s in his thirties but looks 20 years older. His skin displays the ravages of outdoor living. His hair goes whichever way it wills and his teeth look like they’re not hanging around for long. For many, he is someone you would circumnavigate on the street, pretending to look at your phone or studying the approach of the No 8 bus that you are not catching anyway.

His clothes wear him rather than the other way around. And then you notice his eyes. They are bright blue, clear and have a laser quality that scores a bullseye every time they look in your direction. They don’t just see you, they penetrate you. If you stop and talk to him you’ll receive another shock. His voice is quiet, thoughtful and well-modulated. Not many people listen to him so when he has an audience he uses the opportunity sparingly, but tellingly. 

A trained chef, his job, marriage and life collapsed at around the same time. His family didn’t want to know and his employers were simply looking at the bottom line.

At first, he kept himself clean, motivated and mobile, sleeping in the car and, on a good night, on a friend’s sofa. Then the work dried up altogether along with the hope. Claiming benefits requires an address, not a car registration number. 

It became easier to drink in the company of others on a similar downward path. Besides, it kept out the cold. A little. After a couple of years someone mentioned Off the Fence and Antifreeze – somewhere to get some food and a hot drink and a sympathetic ear. Dropping in became a weekly habit and this continued for months, which turned into years. 

With a different approach in place, based around quality instead of quantity, the mentoring and question-answering was allowed o take root. The depth of conversation increased and the sense of real engagement flourished. An Alpha course was attended and Terry started to go to church. Recently, he appeared on a major media platform to recount his story.  

We start from the premise that God can change lives. All it needs is a nudge from us. And you.

If you want to help, visit our website www.offthefence.org.uk or call 01273 933885.

We are always in the market for life-changers.