Caolan Maguire, 29, is currently housed at a Simon Community project in Ballymena.
An Enniskillen man has spoken of his desire to return home to Co Fermanagh after struggling with mental health issues and homelessness in recent years.
Caolan Maguire, 29, is currently housed at a Simon Community project in Ballymena, after he checked into a mental health facility after he was previously attacked in his own home.
Caolan, who has a love of animals and spends time volunteering with rescue dogs, said he first moved out of his family home when he turned 18 as his relationship with his mum became strained due to his alcohol abuse.
Speaking to MyFermanagh, Caolan said:
I grew up in a single parent household with my mum, and from the ages of 16 to 18 the relationship was getting strained
I was going out, getting drunk and when I was 18 my mum had enough of me and I ended up leaving the house. For years after that I sofa surfed between friends and family.
I then got offered my first home, which turned out to be in one of the roughest housing areas in Enniskillen.
During that time I got broken into a few times, twice when I was in the house at the time and I got attacked one time in my home, near fatally. That affected my mental health which went into decline, I felt I was no longer safe in my own house.
For a while I stayed with friends until that no longer became a viable option. I ended up losing the home that I had.
The 29-year-old added his mental health was severely affected following the attack, saying that he had ‘hit the bottom’.
After he checked out of the mental health clinic, he sought help at the Simon Community, which is this year celebrating 50 years working in local communities here.
Speaking about the support received from staff at Simon Community, Caolan explained:
I ended up signing into a mental health clinic in Omagh for six weeks, I had just hit the bottom completely. I walked out of there at the end of the six weeks with pretty much the clothes on my back and ended up here in Ballymena. I’ve been here just over a year and it’s given me a second chance. Without them I’d be lost.
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Article first published by Belfast Live 14th October, written by Conor Coyle.