From BBC
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Mo would be the first to admit he has led a deeply troubled life.
Caught up in a county lines drug-dealing gang, in and out of prison and battling his own drink and drug addictions, he spent years homeless.
At first, that was in London. But then, after the break-up of a relationship, he found himself sleeping rough across the rural boroughs, market towns and coastal resorts of southeast England.
Yet it’s in a small village in the heart of the Kent countryside where he says he has finally found some salvation.
Mo, 53 and originally from London’s East End, is now in supported accommodation provided by the local council.
To say his life has been transformed is an understatement – and he says it is down to the support he has received from the villagers themselves.
“When I first came here, I cried. Because I wasn’t sure where I was going and how it was going to be,” Mo told the BBC.
“I was going through a difficult patch in my life where I was taking from the community, where I would be a menace.
“Now, thank God, through the grace of this village, I’m able to give back – and I enjoy giving back because it gives me a sense of belonging. It gives me a sense of self worth. And it also helped me mentally.”
After more than a year here, Mo is now a well-recognised face, an active member of the local
