Barry Wehlan lived a few roads up from my old house, where I lived for 22 years, just outside of London. As bored teenagers, growing up in an area that most felt didn't offer much in the way of entertainment, groups of lads would often go there to drink beers and for recreational drug use. In 2011 I started to visit regularly and began taking photos of Barry, as I firstly wanted to learn more about who Barry was and how he had come to find himself in the situation he was currently within. After getting to know Barry well, I realised Barry's way of living was down to mental health problems and an obvious lack of support from the goverment. He shared with me information about his struggle growing up in care homes, the loss of his child and living a life with manic depression and addiction. I continue to document Barry's life and in the last three years Barry has been evicted from his council property, been left homeless and has been left in an even more desperate situation due to austerity cuts. Although these images are about one man, I hope they speak about a bigger picture and the desperation for indiviuals living with a lack of appropriate support from the goverment due to the recession.