‘Helen’, now in her mid-30s, had grown up in a dysfunctional family. Her parents had introduced Helen to drugs whilst in her teens, and she was often in mutually exploitative relationships with older men as a way of surviving.
Helen had been reluctant to engage with support services when she first came into Crossways in Winter 2023. After some time to adjust, she slowly began to accept help from our team, who were able to find her next stage accommodation before the project closed.
Our Survive & Thrive service continued to provide Helen with help in her new accommodation, but it couldn’t be as intensive as at Crossways. She lost that place after a few months and returned to sleeping rough.
Helen began accessing The Haven as a safe place away from the streets, where she could have a shower, get a change of clothes and something to eat. She maintained her positive relationships with ITAC staff and was one of the first guests to arrive when Crossways reopened in November 2024.
Helen would sometimes ‘disappear’ for a few days, but always returned to Crossways and was more motivated to work with our team and partner agencies than in the past. We were able to find Helen a place in alternative emergency accommodation where she will be able to access help with her substance misuse and longer-term accommodation options. She continues to be supported by our Survive & Thrive team on occasion.
