Before I came to Emmaus, I worked all my life, 26 years in construction. I was married with children but ended up getting divorced. After this, I ended up in a house on my own. I developed physical injuries to my knees and lost my job which led to me spiralling into anxiety and depression. Once I realised, I had missed so many bills and then I became homeless.
I stayed with family as much as I could but then I found out about Emmaus through a friend. I contacted Emmaus North East and they were brilliant. They took my details, and soon after, offered me a place. Since joining this community, I have stopped taking my anxiety medication. Emmaus has been brilliant with me – I would recommend it to anyone who is homeless. They are dead supportive, and the staff are lovely.
I am still waiting for my knee operation and up until then, I am coming to work at Lucie’s Loft, the Emmaus charity shop in Low Fell. I work the till and I’m quite good at sales so can talk the hind legs off a donkey! Emmaus are great and they have put their trust in me; it’s rewarding working for the charity and to be able to give something after getting their support.
Living in the community
I have moved on from my past life, which was chaotic. There is a variety of characters in the community, and I’ve found out that I am a good listener and people come to me to talk.
I’ve not been through similar things to some people and it’s a real eye opener. It is doing my mental health a world of good being able to give back.
Future plans
I would like to see myself fully working again, as I always have, maybe in a support worker role. Emmaus are going to offer me training. It has been hard not working in construction; I was rock bottom because of it but the opportunities here are really good.
I want to keep helping people. We have a disabled volunteer, and I find it really rewarding working with him and helping him understand the tills. It can be a challenge, but you get a lot of support from the team, they are brilliant.