Archie's letter

At just 13 years old, Archie lost his mum, and after that, he lost his nan, and his auntie and uncle. He became a carer to his father and his siblings but tragically, his father died by suicide. The trauma from his childhood left its mark and for many years, Archie has struggled with his own mental health. 

After working at the NHS during the height of the pandemic, he decided to go to university in Wales. But when he began to struggle again with his PTSD, he lost his place at university, and his accommodation.  

That’s when he came to Crisis.  

With the help of Crisis lead worker, Chris, Archie now has his own studio flat, has been through therapy and with thanks to a Changing Lives Grant, has qualified to teach English as a foreign language. He is planning to use this to help refugees learn English. 

He has also shared his experiences with the Welsh Government, which has helped influence a new draft homelessness law in Wales that is passing through the Senedd this year. 

Archie has now left our services and wrote this letter to Chris and everyone at Crisis who helped support him on his journey.  

Archie’s letter 

Dear Crisis Skylight Team, 

When I first arrived in Wales, I was washed away by its beauty and tranquillity. But Wales - like life itself - can be both cruel and kind. I experienced something I thought I’d never go through again: homelessness. 

During that period, I remodelled myself as if I were broken clay and, in that vulnerability, I found you. I was adrift, soaking up patches of pain, drowning in endless poison. For every wrong turn I faced, you offered the right direction. 

In many ways, a lot of my victories are shared victories - especially my sobriety. I am a man who can now look at his reflection with pride, not just because of my own strength, but because of the work you’ve done with me. I’ve been met as a human being - not a number, not a case, not a statistic, but a person. People don’t realise how poor it is to be broken. 

If this is the end of the road, then remember what you are leaving and I will remember each and every one of you, and the work that you have done. 

I have climbed mountains. I have survived war zones - both literal and metaphorical. I have sung my song to the people who hold the keys to the very system that allows this cancer we call homelessness to spread. 

I hope that the work that has been done leads to a cure and that we learn not just to cherry-pick life, but to embrace it in all its splendour. 

Today may be a farewell, but it is also a reflection of the hard work you have done with me- the growth, the effort, and the healing that has taken place. Your fingerprints will be forever etched on the marker of the man I am, and on my heart. 

Thank you for being you, thank you for the life you have saved and the lives you are continuously saving. 

Warm regards,  

Arch