After Doris found herself homeless, our charity gave her a place to stay and the support she needed to get back on her feet. We recently had a chat with Doris, and she shared her story:
“I was having trouble with my documents so I couldn’t work. I couldn’t earn money to pay the rent, and so one day I was told I had to leave. I was homeless.
That first day, I could have ended up sleeping outside, but somebody helped me contact Emmaus Coventry & Warwickshire. They realised I had nowhere to go and gave me a room.
It was so wonderful to have somewhere to go.
I felt safe, but I was depressed and desperate. I wasn’t happy and I didn’t have hope. It was my first time experiencing homelessness, and it was a shock – I couldn’t see a way forward.
Emmaus didn’t just give me a place to sleep. They gave me their time. They helped me by talking to me. They encouraged me and reassured me that everything was going to be fine. If it wasn’t for their advice, I would have given up.
They are very good people. With their help and support I felt stronger, and I had more courage. I started to think ‘I can make it’.
I was at Emmaus for four months, and I developed a lot with their help and their goodness.
My son, who had been abroad, eventually made arrangements to come back to the UK. I moved out and was able to start claiming benefits and start planning for the future. We now have a place to stay, thanks to the local council, and things are looking up.
I recently went back to collect some things that the Emmaus team had been storing for me, and it was like a dream come true! They said, ‘you see, you’ve made it!’, and we were all laughing together.”