My Nacro

Former Nacro housing resident Sam Bray, 19, introduces Nacro now and reflects on Nacro's work

When Nacro first asked me to guide you through Nacro now, I was surprised, and honoured at the same time. Nacro has made a huge difference to my life personally, as it does to thousands of young people and adults every year. So it was fascinating for me to see a bit more of Nacro’s work for myself, and to find out exactly why it’s the biggest crime reduction charity in England and Wales.

Visiting and learning about the projects featured on this website and the work the staff there do in tough communities, with hard, troubled people, was really interesting and it opened my eyes to how varied and vast Nacro’s work is.

For me this experience has come at the tail end of a journey that began when I was myself referred to Nacro after my life fell apart. I was homeless, addicted to drugs, thieving everything from food and clothes to the lead off roofs and in thousands of pounds worth of debt.

I was eventually given a place in a Nacro hostel and, thanks to the incredible support from the Nacro staff, I now have my own flat, am off drugs and I have a partner and a young son who I adore. I am also now working full-time and I'm training to become a youth worker myself. None of this would have been possible without Nacro’s help.

So I hope you will enjoy visiting and reading about all the projects in Nacro Now, just as I did.

Sam Bray