Man who fell victim to modern slavery speaks of his journey from homelessness to hope
Elvis Punculis had been working in the construction industry before his job was uncovered as being modern slavery.
His perpetrators were jailed, but Elvis found himself homeless and without a passport.
Elvis says he was rough sleeping for around three years across London and Bradford.
'The case was finished because I was a victim of modern slavery,' he told the T&A.
'I had some drug and alcohol issues.
'It came from homelessness mostly. Homelessness makes people do silly things.
'It's quite dangerous to sleep at night because some homeless people, they are on drugs, they can attack you.
'My nervous system really went down, especially with the drugs that I did, [it] was very bad for my brain and nervous system.'
Hope Housing - a charity working with homeless people in Bradford - helped Elvis into recovery.
'I got in touch with my family back in my country,' he said.
'This helped me to stop doing drugs and drinking. My family, plus the support workers at Hope Housing, with their help, I've got clean from drugs and alcohol.
'I was isolated because I didn't really hang around with other homeless people.
'Society needs to help homeless people, but different homeless people have different problems. Every single person needs personal help.
'What makes me proud? I'm proud I have family and that I got over all the bad things.
'I'm grateful to these people.'
The former hospital porter is now looking towards the future and living in shared accommodation. He hopes to build a life alongside his partner and her child, as well as reunite with his father in Latvia.
It would be the first time Elvis has seen his family in almost 20 years.
A fundraiser with a target of £500 has been created on Just Giving by housing support worker Inayah Sher.
To donate visit https://bit.ly/elvisfundraiser
The fundraiser reads: 'Elvis dreams of getting married and helping raise his partner's young child, creating the kind of safe, supportive family he never thought possible. His strength, honesty, and determination have brought him this far, but he now faces one final barrier: he simply can't afford the travel costs to reach his family.
'Once a hospital porter, Elvis is kind, intelligent, and deeply compassionate. He's worked hard to get where he is, and he's ready for a fresh start surrounded by love and stability.
'He doesn't want a handout, just a helping hand from a community that believes in second chances.
'This fundraiser, through Hope Housing, is a way for all of us to say: we see you, Elvis and we believe in you.
'Our goal is to raise £500 to cover the cost of travel and help Elvis begin this next chapter.'
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