help Svetelin get a new passport and hostel bed
Donation protected
4 years ago I was living in Bristol in a shared house. A young Bulgarian guy called Tsvetelin Sklad rented a room there for several weeks. He had come to England to pursue his dream of doing experimental theatre in the UK. He was fun, intelligent, polite, easy-going, engaging and interestingly zany. He was trying to find some kind of work but without success. I left Bristol and he went back to Bulgaria and I did not hear from him.
Then early this summer he rocked up in Bristol without warning and knocked on the door where we used to live. All the old occupants he knew had moved away and he did not know anyone else in Bristol. I got some desperate facebook messages but I was in Essex and unable to help any more than put him in touch with the former flatmates. It seems that at that moment he was in a bad place mentally and it is not clear what happened but the next I heard from him was from the mental hospital where he had been sectioned. From what I heard it seems like he had been doing some kind of experimental theatre in the centre of Bristol during lock-down and freaked people out and the police were called.
It is hard to get a clear picture of what happened over the last few months but basically he was in and out of the psychiatric ward and begging on the streets. He sent me a message saying they would only let him out if someone picked him up and took him to a place where he could live. He told me he had some money in the bank. I was 200 miles away in Essex but I put the word out among my Bristol friends and Martin, who has a house in Bristol with a spare room, went to pick him up. It turned out that Tsvetelin only had 14 quid and was dependant on Martin for everything.
After a week of trying his best Martin could not deal with it anymore. Svetelin would wander out leaving the street door wide open when no-one else was in the house and it was clear that he was not with it. However during this time the few people who had known him in Bristol back in 2017 had mobilized a basic support network. Pete bought him some shopping and called in to check on him a couple of times and Zack did the same. However it became clear to everyone that Svetelin needed to go back to the mental hospital so he voluntarily readmitted and is there now.
Tsvetelin had somehow lost his passport and has no money at all. Zack contacted his sister in Bulgaria telling her the situation and we are waiting to hear from her. It feels tragic that he has come to this situation. Me, Pete, Zack and Martin don't really know his story but it is clear that if we don't help him nobody will! There is no knowing how bad things will get - total ruin is a very likely possibility if he is not helped!
Our goal is to raise enough money so that when he is ready to get out of mental hospital he has a place to live for a few days (ie... a hostel) and he can purchase a new passport so if he wants to go back to Bulgaria he can do that or if he wants to stay and work here (Bulgarians are permitted to legally work in UK) he can do that. He will need money for basic living expenses and will probably need to be looked after and accompanied a bit. We asked a friend who works for Crisis and he said it is much better for the individual to be helped by his friends than by the system. He implied that people who are totally reliant on such charities are much less likely to get back on their feet.
A passport will cost around 200 quid, accommodation in a hostel and some security when he gets out will cost around 20 quid per night and travel and basic expenses will cost around 15 quid a day and some money to give him options of what he needs to do is important. Maybe for a flight back to Bulgaria or helping him get set up more long term in Bristol. You probably never this guy put I can vouch for him and a donation of 2 or 3 quid will help a lot when he gets out.
If you can't donate but live near Bristol and have time and energy to help hang out with Tsvetelin when he gets out and take him for a cup of tea or a walk, that is also great! Or if you have advice! We are just friends - not experts on psychiatrics! I would like to hope that if I went nuts in some other country my friends there would help me! Please just send a message saying what you can offer. Like I said, when I knew him he was a charming, trustworthy and gentle young man. I know it is a tall order but we hope we can get him back on his feet.
Thanks for your attention!
Then early this summer he rocked up in Bristol without warning and knocked on the door where we used to live. All the old occupants he knew had moved away and he did not know anyone else in Bristol. I got some desperate facebook messages but I was in Essex and unable to help any more than put him in touch with the former flatmates. It seems that at that moment he was in a bad place mentally and it is not clear what happened but the next I heard from him was from the mental hospital where he had been sectioned. From what I heard it seems like he had been doing some kind of experimental theatre in the centre of Bristol during lock-down and freaked people out and the police were called.
It is hard to get a clear picture of what happened over the last few months but basically he was in and out of the psychiatric ward and begging on the streets. He sent me a message saying they would only let him out if someone picked him up and took him to a place where he could live. He told me he had some money in the bank. I was 200 miles away in Essex but I put the word out among my Bristol friends and Martin, who has a house in Bristol with a spare room, went to pick him up. It turned out that Tsvetelin only had 14 quid and was dependant on Martin for everything.
After a week of trying his best Martin could not deal with it anymore. Svetelin would wander out leaving the street door wide open when no-one else was in the house and it was clear that he was not with it. However during this time the few people who had known him in Bristol back in 2017 had mobilized a basic support network. Pete bought him some shopping and called in to check on him a couple of times and Zack did the same. However it became clear to everyone that Svetelin needed to go back to the mental hospital so he voluntarily readmitted and is there now.
Tsvetelin had somehow lost his passport and has no money at all. Zack contacted his sister in Bulgaria telling her the situation and we are waiting to hear from her. It feels tragic that he has come to this situation. Me, Pete, Zack and Martin don't really know his story but it is clear that if we don't help him nobody will! There is no knowing how bad things will get - total ruin is a very likely possibility if he is not helped!
Our goal is to raise enough money so that when he is ready to get out of mental hospital he has a place to live for a few days (ie... a hostel) and he can purchase a new passport so if he wants to go back to Bulgaria he can do that or if he wants to stay and work here (Bulgarians are permitted to legally work in UK) he can do that. He will need money for basic living expenses and will probably need to be looked after and accompanied a bit. We asked a friend who works for Crisis and he said it is much better for the individual to be helped by his friends than by the system. He implied that people who are totally reliant on such charities are much less likely to get back on their feet.
A passport will cost around 200 quid, accommodation in a hostel and some security when he gets out will cost around 20 quid per night and travel and basic expenses will cost around 15 quid a day and some money to give him options of what he needs to do is important. Maybe for a flight back to Bulgaria or helping him get set up more long term in Bristol. You probably never this guy put I can vouch for him and a donation of 2 or 3 quid will help a lot when he gets out.
If you can't donate but live near Bristol and have time and energy to help hang out with Tsvetelin when he gets out and take him for a cup of tea or a walk, that is also great! Or if you have advice! We are just friends - not experts on psychiatrics! I would like to hope that if I went nuts in some other country my friends there would help me! Please just send a message saying what you can offer. Like I said, when I knew him he was a charming, trustworthy and gentle young man. I know it is a tall order but we hope we can get him back on his feet.
Thanks for your attention!
Organizer
James Monahan
Organizer
England
