Five years ago, Johnstone Babu was on the streets, estranged from his three children and drinking heavily. But with the help of a charity for homeless people, Mr Babu is a new man.

For the Lewisham cab driver, it was an alarmingly quick fall into homelessness.

After an accident, his taxi was written off, he was left unable to pay his rent and, not long after, Mr Babu found himself without a home.

The 56-year-old said: "It happened very quickly - the money goes fast. I couldn't support myself so I went on the streets.

"With the small amount of money I had, I started drinking. That's business when you're with people on the street."

The gravity of his situation meant he was unwilling to see his friends or even his family, and left the area, winding up with a group of other street people in east London.

His days were mainly spent walking to homeless centres to get a shower and a meal, or riding around on buses, using the back of their top decks to get some sleep.

Living that way for three years, a particular low point was being attacked and robbed of what little he had left by a street gang one night.

He said: "When you're homeless, even with your friends, you're a very vulnerable person. You clash with the police and you clash with street boys too."

Fortunately, staff at the 199 Centre in Deptford took a shine to him because of his quiet nature, and eventually referred him to the Emmaus community in Plumstead.

The charity's building, in Elmley Street, has 24 rooms for formerly homeless people, requiring them to sign off benefits and work full time at its business which is mainly collecting and selling donated furniture.

Now a logistics assistant, in charge of arranging furniture collections, Mr Babu has turned his life around and sees his family regularly again.

He said: "It's very interesting to look back now. The support I've got here was very good and there's no alcohol allowed in this place.

"When I told them about my alcohol problem, they helped me deal with it. Very quickly I was clean from alcohol - it was beautiful."

Looking back on his experience, he said: "I wouldn't want anybody to go through that. At times you feel like committing suicide.

"But also you have nothing to worry about because you don't know what's next. All you're bothered about is getting something to eat."

 

Furniture donations

What keeps Emmaus going is its donors and the charity is looking for even more people to donate their old furniture instead of dumping it.

 

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Though based in Plumstead, Emmaus vans, directed by Mr Babu, travel across London to collect people's donations, which also include things like books and bric a brac.

Those items are then sold again and that funds the community, which is aided by a group of volunteers.

Mr Babu said: "The furniture is what keeps this place going.

"Our donors do it in good heart. They want to support us."

He added: "Organising these things is a job I like and a job I dreamed to do."

To donate and arrange a collection, call 020 8316 5398 or email info@emmausgreenwich.org

The charity also runs shops in Earl Rise, Plumstead, and Lee High Road, Lewisham.