I've taken this narrative from my facebook page:
This is Sam. He's been homeless for 6 years now since his Mum died from MS. Unable to combat his grief he turned to drugs and drink. He has been clean for 4 years now and is desperate to get back to work. As he no longer has a drug habit, he doesn't get the support other homeless people with habits get. He's not seen as having a big enough problem to warrant additional help.
His main goal is to get his teeth fixed after years of neglect so he can be a bit more presentable and then get any kind of job to help him into a place of his own.
He's seen here with Buffy his cat, and Hooch the dog. His constant companions.
Again, I explained what I was doing and got his permission to put the image on social media. He's hopeful it may lead to him getting a break.
This is part of a project that I am engaged in, giving some homeless people a voice. It's the third one I've done and I hope to do many more this yer
Sam by
Nick Brennan, on Flickr