Norbert’s father left the his family when Norbert was 12, leaving his mother to raise two boys on her own.
Norbert was 18 when he came to London to visit his father and ask him to support his family back home. Norbert’s relationship with his father was difficult and he never received the support he asked for. During his time in London Norbert was drugged and sexual assaulted. This triggered a downward spiral he says: “This was the time when I started drinking. Going through my life as a young man with a mental scar, I drank every day, although I managed to make a small career as a chef, working for over 12 years. Because I was constantly drunk, I was often fired and got into all sorts of trouble. I was beaten by strangers on the street, I had three nose surgeries, a broken cheekbone, a broken hand, and once someone tried to kill me by holding a knife to my throat.”
In 2017 Norbert became homeless due his struggles with alcohol and mental health issues, he was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Norbert had hit rock bottom.
Norbert said: “I was living in hostels, surrounded by drug addicts and alcoholics, but I managed to detox. Shortly after that I was accepted into the Kairos Community Trust, a charity helping people who are homeless with drug and alcohol problems.”
