JUST nine months ago Peter Neale was sleeping in a bus shelter in Chelmsford.
He slept rough for three and a half months, not knowing where his next meal was coming from.
But today he lives in a one bedroom council flat in Melbourne, and has finally begun dedicating his time to his true passion, ceramics – which are now on display at Chelmsford library.
Mr Neale featured in a report on CHESS's night shelter last October, after he had just secured a temporary bed there.
At the time Mr Neale admitted that he was in a "bad place" and had forgotten about his art.
But within weeks he was moved to CHESS's "halfway houses," where he started to paint again.
"Getting the house in Melbourne was the first step to getting back my independence," said Mr Neale, who has been living there for about two months.
"It was easier for me to get a property because I am 62-years-old and slightly disabled and therefore I am a high priority.
"I now live on a slight hill where the sun rises in the morning and I can see above the other houses – I cannot believe my luck."
The artist grew up in Dunmow and attended Dunmow Secondary Modern but left the town at 28-years-old to enrol in a therapy class in Los Angeles in 1979.
He worked two jobs, a night cleaner at both Mid-Essex Tech and at Dunmow Secondary Modern, to afford the plane ticket.
After a taste of the American lifestyle he decided to stay, delivering burgers on a motorbike around Beverly Hills. He was later inspired by abstract Native American art to build sculptures.
Mr Neale only decided to return to the UK two years ago, when he found himself in an emotionally bad state.
"It was the first time ever that I was homeless, so it was an experience, because if you haven't got a stable place you can't really focus on anything else but just living from day to day and surviving.
"I met a lot of different kinds of people on the streets, some have drug and alcohol problems, but others had just lost their jobs and couldn't afford their homes – no one is cut from the same mould.
"It has been a real education for me."
CHESS helped Mr Neale to bid on houses, and admitted they did their best to secure him a home.
After getting settled he contacted Chelmsford library, where he had spent all his days while living on the streets, and asked if he could showcase his art.
They agreed, and it has encouraged Peter to start collecting more pots from charity shops to paint.
"Art is my way of keeping grounded in reality, it is my religion," he said.
"You hear so many depressing stories about people being homeless, and I just wanted to tell my story to show that there are some positive stories that come out of being homeless."
