This is Jack. He’s 26 years old and he sleeps in a bus stop. Now I don’t know about you, but I think that there’s something very, very wrong when you’re 26 and sleeping in a bus stop…”The House That Jack Built” is what happened when I met Jack.
Written by Denise
Denise Harrison is an award-winning writer and film-maker, whose writing career began back in 2017 when she was newly in recovery and living in a homeless hostel. As a way to cope in an ever-changing and often challenging environment (and also as a way to understand herself and to try and make peace with her demons) she began to write, and her website "Just A Girl-My Life" (justagirl.emyspot.com) was born.
Next came her short, dark, animated film "This Is Depression" which won 8 film awards and accolades, and which was the spark that lit the proverbial fire and kick-started her career as an artist who pulls no punches with her brutally honest stories of mental health, homelessness and addiction.
She has 18 awards to date... both as a writer and as a film-maker, is a public speaker, mental health advocate, activist and campaigner and is also beyond proud to be an associate on the world's first cultural leadership programme founded by Arts and Homeless International.
She is a community reporter for the Listen Up! project, and shares her knowledge and her story in the hope that others can be inspired, and take heart in knowing that recovery is possible.
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Denise, this is powerful, full of emotion, dripping in humanity - I was in Plymouth couple’of weeks ago, next time I hope I don’t see Jack because he’s been supported and found safety somewhere, thank you for sharing his experience
Fabulous piece of work Denise, I can hear the passion, emotion and frustration in your voice recording Jack’s situation. Thanks for sharing