Malkit, a guest at HSSH, wanted to return to India, which he left when he was 17. He is now 32.

 

It had been tough for him in Southall, West London, where for 16 years, he had spent most of that time, rough sleeping. Just before the pandemic, he made the decision to return to his family and to his ageing parents. HSSH staff then contacted his family back in India to ask what they thought about him returning home. His parents happily agreed to welcome him back and sent all necessary supporting documents, so that he was able to apply for emergency travel documents, as he didn’t have his passport. 

 

During his time in Southall, he had become dependent on alcohol, and suffered periods of severe alcohol withdrawal. Throughout lockdown, it became unmanageable. Along with other guests he was placed in a hotel in East London, with no support in place, for those with such needs. Although travel was restricted, he often made his way from East London, all the way to Southall (West London), spending almost an hour and a half on the train, only to get alcohol from his friends and maybe borrow money from the people he knew, to manage his cravings. Often, on his way back to the hotel, he would get on the wrong train, miss his stop or be stopped by the police because he was drunk and causing a problem. HSSH staff received a number of phone calls from him, the police or even an ambulance which had been called a several times for him. 

 

Meanwhile, his HSSH case worker was able to push forward the application for his inpatient detox, which eventually was granted after four months, outside London. He was accompanied by his case worker to the detox centre and admitted. He successfully completed ten days of his detox treatment and returned to the hotel in East London. It was evident that full rehabilitation was not achieved, as just a few days later, he relapsed. However, his dependency was not as severe as it had been before his detox.

 

In the meantime, Malkit received his travel documents from the Indian embassy and in January 2021, he was finally able to return to his family in India. The community came together to assist him with material items and a financial package provided by the Voluntary Return Service and HSSH, meant that he could return home with dignity. After an initial struggle, he is now settling down, well. He and his family, are very grateful for all the help received for his reconnection.