“I suffered a breakdown in 2014, which caused me to wake one morning and leave my home, my wife and my children. I didn’t realise I was having a breakdown so I wasn’t aware of what I was doing the morning I left my family. I just woke up and walked out the door in only a t-shirt and jeans on a cold January morning. I spent the next three years homeless before finding Emmaus Greenwich.
I’ve spent Christmases on the street alone near Victoria Station, trying my best not to acknowledge that it was Christmas or to think about what my family might be doing. I can also remember falling asleep outside one New Year’s Eve. Life on the street was so exhausting I managed to sleep through the huge firework display.
This Christmas, I’ll be at Emmaus. Emmaus has given me the structure I needed at a difficult time in my life. When I finally plucked up the courage to get in touch with my children, they told me they assumed I was dead. I will always wish I could get those lost years back but with help from Emmaus, and support from my family, I’m getting my life back together. ”
With your support, we can show Tony and more than 800 other formerly homeless people living in Emmaus communities that they are valued this Christmas.
Yes, I would like to give people the help and support they need this Christmas
Next year, we plan to open more rooms, meaning even more people can be given a home and individual support from Emmaus for as long as they need it. None of this would be possible without you.
Thank you and Merry Christmas from all at Emmaus.