Natalie’s story
Natalie’s story, and the support she received from Lily Renney, our Homeless Service Support Worker at Ashkirk, shows the difference the right support can make.
Natalie is 31 and a mother of five. She had to leave her private rented home because of domestic abuse in a previous relationship.
Our team offered Natalie and her family a home at Ashkirk, where they now live in permanent social housing.
Lily supported Natalie and her family to find a safe place to live and begin a new chapter in their lives. This is one example of how we help create safer futures for women, children and families.
Natalie said:
“I was terrified when we had to leave, I had nowhere to go or anything, but when I came here, I thought ‘I’m alright, it’s safe in here.”
“They give you all the support you need and help you out, even emotionally, to help you move on. I’m not used to having people on my side, I was just cabined up in the house listening to orders.”
“I just felt I was failing my kids. They were going through a hard time as well as me. It was really hard.”
“Lily is lovely, she comes to check on me at least once a week, she is honestly mint.”
“They are the best people ever. My kids love her.”
Lily said:
“I’ve seen a big change in Natalie, she has a lot more confidence, and she is thriving.”
“Natalie when she first moved in struggled with money, struggled with her finances quite a lot, so we’ve worked to maximise benefits so she’s a lot better off now and manages really well.”
“We’ve also put in place support networks to help her with relationships.”