Crossways, our Winter accommodation project, closed its doors on 1st April. We wanted to highlight the stories of some of our guests and how our person-centred approach can help those on the streets get the support they need to start turning their lives in a more positive direction.
‘A’ came to Cambridge fleeing violence from his ex-partner and their associates. While he initially secured second stage accommodation relatively soon after arriving in the city, he reported experiencing homophobic abuse from a resident in the property that he shared and his own actions in what he felt was self-defence resulted in his eviction.
He eventually accessed Crossways during a SWEP period. This offered him stability, but both physical health issues and those pertaining to his mental health, exacerbated in part by his difficulty in securing a local connection, often lead to unpredictable behaviour.