“That’s the most important thing, being loved, appreciated, and valued”.
Carlton, a companion living in our community has featured in the new podcast series by Emmaus UK! Carlton became homeless after struggling to keep up with rent payments and has shared his experience in an episode of the Homelessness Matters podcast. The popular podcast launched in 2022 with Season 1 gaining over 1,300 downloads. Season 2 launched this October with six new episodes.
The podcast shares stories from people who have experienced homelessness. Season 2 goes beyond individual experiences: by also talking to experts, the episodes explore how larger factors in our society can lead to homelessness in the UK.
Carlton has living in our community for three years and in the episode, ‘Transforming Homelessness Support’ he shares his experience of homelessness, sofa surfing, and struggling to find a permanent place to live. On the podcast, Carlton describes the personalised, holistic support that he has received at Emmaus and the difference it has made to his mental health: ”I thought no one really cared about my emotions, whereas they [the support team] see all emotions as coming from an important place.”
At Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney, Carlton now has a home for as long as needed, receives daily support, and gains work experience in the our Ditchingham based shop and cafe and our shop in Norwich City centre.
The episode also features our CEO, Cecile Roberts, and Emmaus UK’s Development Advisor for Housing and Homelessness, Verity James-Sinetos , discussing the support Emmaus offers and the importance of working with each person individually to best help them heal from trauma and experiences of homelessness.
Cecile commented “It was great to speak alongside Verity about the impact Emmaus has on our resident’s lives. At Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney we have introduced different support models to ensure we get to know each person who comes into our community, their strengths, goals, and how we can best work with them as an individual. I hope our supporters old and new who listen to Carlton’s story and our discussion can understand a bit more about our charity and the work we do!”
Carlton’s episode of the Homelessness Matters podcast is available now on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and TuneIn, and can also be found at www.emmaus.org.uk/podcast