David’s Journey to Belonging
Date Posted: Nov 05, 2025.
David“I’ll keep coming here – it gives me solace and peace, being with people who don’t judge me”
David spent a lot of his 20s in and out of prison. Then in his 30s he met a girl, settled down, had a couple of kids, and got work labouring on building sites. Things were getting better. But they broke up, and he took it hard. That’s when he turned to drugs.
He lost ten years of his life to crack and heroin. David was homeless for a couple of years too, living on the street. That’s when he got sick and collapsed.
“I was hospitalised for 17 weeks with a deep vein thrombosis and an ulcer on my spine. I was in a bad way, but in another way, it saved me”
He went onto a drug recovery programme, moved into his own place, and got back in contact with his mum who was over the moon. But he had to change his whole social circle, or it would have dragged him back down again. And at times that was really lonely. David has fought hard to find the right path.
Now he has a new sense of direction, and new friends who aren’t just out for themselves, who love without judgement. “I didn’t want to slip back, so I made new friends and started coming here”, David shared.
He started mixing with different people - and made friends with his new neighbours. That’s when he found out about Places of Welcome and started coming along to St Barnabas Soup Kitchen.
The people here don’t judge him or give him sideways looks. And while he has to believe in himself, it helps that he has others around him who believe in him too, because sharing and talking solves problems.
He started volunteering here - and for a local homelessness charity. And he started going to services at the local church. It felt strange at first, but everyone there was really accepting. It’s has given him the strength to better himself.
What David’s story brings to light is the transformative power of connection and community; thanks to the generosity and compassion of people like you.
“A Full Tummy, a Full Heart, a Full Soul”
“I felt God was calling me to create a safe place where people could make friends and where everyone in the community could get fed. This shaped our goal: to keep people full not only in their tummies, but also full in their hearts and full in their souls.”
Cheb, Venue Manager at St Barnabas Soup Kitchen, supported by CUF’s Places of Welcome initiative.
It was Cheb who first recognised the quiet need growing in her community. She saw it in the faces of people worn down by hardship, in the loneliness that hung heavy, and in the simple fact that many didn’t even have the bus fare to get to services outside the area.
From the moment the soup kitchen doors opened, it was clear there was a hunger, not just for food, but for belonging.
Some of those who come are homeless. Some are working but still don’t have enough to feed their kids. Some are feeling the pinch, while others have a need for company. But whoever they are, however, they come, when guests sit and eat together, bellies are filled, connections are made and friendships are formed.
“It’s not just about feeding people; it’s showing someone that they are seen and heard, “ says Cheb. “ If we can leave someone feeling a little uplifted with a moment of our time, offer them food and nourish them, that’s the motivation behind this work.” Cheb.
At its heart, this is more than a soup kitchen. It’s a place of welcome, of healing, of hope.