In his own words, we hear how Colin Wiseman became to be Engagement & Outreach Service Manager at The Passage
“As part of the largest street homeless Resource Centre in London, I’m often asked why I do this work – the early mornings, the late nights, the moments of crisis, the constant fight to build trust with people who have every reason not to trust anyone. And the honest answer is that I have been there.
I was street homeless in Glasgow when I was young. I had my own battles with substance use, and there were days when I genuinely thought my life was over.
What got me out wasn’t anything miraculous. It was the kindness of strangers. People who didn’t have to stop, but did. People who saw me as someone who still had a future.
That experience never leaves you. Even now, 20 years and 300 miles later, the thought of homelessness can still whisper in your ear, and you know exactly how fast life can unravel. So maybe that’s why I’ve spent 15 years doing outreach. It’s a hard job. People are angry, frightened and lost – and you are the person standing in front of them.”
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor
“There’s a saying I carry with me: a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. And the streets teach you a lot. Mostly that people can spot nonsense from 100 yards. So you have to be honest. You have to be vulnerable.
You meet people where they are, even when that place is painful. Because love, compassion and community – even if we don’t talk about them explicitly in this job – are as vital as housing and benefits.
We meet people at their most vulnerable, but it’s also where transformation begins. People sometimes laugh when I say to my clients, “I hope to never see you again.” But I mean it. I hope they go on with their lives, remember a kind stranger, and play it forward – the same way someone once did for me.”
Those sleeping on the street are:
- 15 times more likely to be victims of physical assault
- 12 times more likely to be victims of sexual assault
- 62% of hostel residents had their first class‑A drug experience after becoming street homeless (recent DDN survey)