February 21, 2023 7.00 am This story is over 23 months old

Man who slept rough near train track thanks charity for saving his life

He spent over three months at Harbour Place

A man who slept rough in car parks and near a train track in North East Lincolnshire has thanked a charity who helped him turn his life around.

Michael Storey spent three-and-a-half months at Harbour Place in Grimsby and now lives in a flat. Harbour Place describes itself as “the only local homeless charity providing a night shelter for those needing a bed for the night”.

Michael told BBC Look North: “I was sleeping on the seafront, down Cleethorpes like in the bus shelters, car parks and funnily enough on a side of a train track.

“Down to these guys helping me has got me helping myself more, just through the encouragement they gave us and through the help that they gave us as well.”

He added that if it wasn’t for the charity’s help “I’d probably be in prison.”

Michael Storey spent three-and-a-half months at Harbour Place in Grimsby. | Screenshot: BBC Look North

BBC Look North said official figures say there are around 10 people sleeping rough every night in North East Lincolnshire, but staff at Harbour Place believe that number is higher.

Robin Barr, Project Director at Harbour Place, said: “In January we think there were probably between 25 and 35 people at some point across the month. The lowest number we saw in any one week was 14. Of course, those figures don’t count the eight to 10 people who we have sleeping in the night shelter every night.”

He added: “The more people we can get off the streets and into safe accommodation, where we can then offer them support to move on, that’s what really matters to us.”

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