A year and a half ago I was the Sales Manager of a large company, living with my partner and son in a very nice house, enjoying a happy home life. I lost my job due to cuts - I wasn't bothered, I'd never been unemployed and thought I'd just get another job.
Forward 6 months
44 years old, unemployed, single and nowhere to live or to call home. Still things can only get better, so I thought. But the next seven months were spent 'Bed Hopping', sleeping on sofas or in spare rooms, sometimes travelling 100 miles in a week, one night here, two nights there.
Your close friends and family never really know what's going on and you don't want them to know, That's the problem with being homeless, you won't admit you need help, you're too embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated; you have lost your self esteem. It's best to pretend that everything is fine. You hope that things really will get better. It takes sleeping rough on the streets for a few days to realise that you need to swallow your pride and get some help.
Forward 6 months - DENS
I am living in a homeless shelter. Almost everyone has a view or a perception as to what a night shelter is like; they pre-judge what sort of people are there, why they are there, and form a mental picture of a room full of sleeping bags and soup kitchens - but it just isn't the case. Thanks to DENS, those days are long gone. All sorts can end up in a homeless shelter. They don't all have a drink or drug problem.
Today
Due to the help and support DENS has given me, things at long last really are getting better.
The thing that most people don't realise is that DENS is not just about a hot meal and a bed for the night. All the staff and volunteers offer help and support on a daily basis. There is someone to talk to, whatever your situation. They are real people; some may have been through the same as you; with first hand knowledge of where you are mentally, physically and emotionally. You are made to feel like a person, not a number, no one judges you, no one looks down on you - and you feel better for it.
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