CHARLOTTE

A solid and secure foundation

Charlotte came to Action Homeless after leaving an abusive relationship and becoming a victim of domestic violence. She was under financial and emotional control from her abuser, and felt that she was treated as the person who had done something wrong, and not the victim. Always being asked, ‘why didn’t you just leave?’ During the years that followed, Charlotte feels that she lost everything and turned to alcohol before accessing rehab at the cost of giving up her home. She then lost custody of her daughter as she became homeless and suffered from a long term mental health condition.

After leaving rehab, Charlotte lived at Unity House where she continued her recovery and was referred to the A+ team at Action Homeless. She has now been abstinent for 1 year. Here she met Denise who helped her get a self-contained A+ property, which was close by to mental health and recovery support. Charlotte was reluctant at first to accept this property as it was a one bedroom flat and she wanted enough space for her daughter to stay for overnight visits. However, after seeing the high quality flat, she decided to accept it straight away. All other residents in this building have had similar past experiences, so they all understand what one another have faced and remain in recovery together.

The team at Action Homeless have supported Charlotte throughout her journey into an A+ property, and have continued to support her as she uses services nearby including Unity House and Turning Point, where she is now trained as a Peer Mentor. With the support of Vicky and Denise at Action Homeless, Charlotte has begun saving as she budgets and pays her bills as well as re-starting a degree in Criminology at the Open University, as she was previously unable to complete her university degree due to long term mental health conditions.

Charlotte is still trying to get full custody of her daughter which is a huge motivator and keeps her focused on the next steps of her life. Charlotte’s ultimate goal is to provide a safe and permanent home for herself and her daughter by building a foundation they can then progress from.