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Your support could be the start
of a life-changing journey

How Attila put homelessness behind him

Attila lost his job during Covid-19. When his Universal Credit claim was denied, he was pushed into homelessness. “Losing my flat forced me into homelessness. I slept on the bus, too ashamed to sleep on the street, I slept on the train, and in the park.”

As well as being psychologically tough, Attila’s health was at risk for a number of reasons. “I slept rough for about seven months. During that time, I was very stressed and agitated. I have diabetes which put me at risk even more."

Attila’s life took a turn for the better. At Crisis, Attila started to work with a coach, David. “I am so grateful to David. When I met him, I thought he was a young kid with funny hair – what can he do for me? But he surprised me because he has done so much for me.”

From the start, Attila knew where he wanted his life to go. “I came up with ideas of what I wanted to do and he supported me emotionally. Crisis also supported me with finances."

Today, Attila has a home and control of his life once again. “All that I have to say is thank you. I will never forget it. I am a proud person so it’s not easy to ask for help. I am so glad and so thankful to Crisis for what they have done for me.”

 

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How your support helps people out of homelessness

Welcome

We offer new members initial needs assessments where we can talk through their situation and make a plan together. People can need a range of help from claiming benefits they're entitled to, to building their confidence and independence, or taking a qualification that could help them find work.

Wellbeing

Through group sessions and one-to-one therapy with clinical psychologists, your support helps members improve their mental and physical wellbeing. We work particularly closely with people experiencing complex mental health problems too, helping them get specialist help and accommodation as urgently as possible.

Skills

Members can access a vast array of courses and qualifications online - helping them take another critical step forwards. We also cover vocational skills, including retail and hospitality traineeships in our shops.

Employment

Across our services, we're seeing more people facing homelessness after losing their job during the pandemic. We're supporting people to find work, with specialist teams who connect people with employers, as well as help with CVs and interview practice.

A message from David, Attila's lead worker

One of the great joys of my job as a Case worker at Crisis is seeing someone completely turn their life around. It takes time, and sometimes there are setbacks, but often good things lead to even better things, creating a sort of momentum. So if you are ever in doubt of what your kind donations can achieve, I can tell you first hand that your support will always make a difference to someone’s life.


What’s so important with Attila and other people in similar situations is that they should always be the ones making the decisions in their lives. Attila’s a proud man who has accomplished a great deal despite adversity. So when he came to me and said he wanted to be an HGV driver, my role was to be there for guidance and emotional support.


It’s not always about the big stuff either, we’re here for the smaller things too – like travel cards, for instance. For Attila, travelling was costly. By providing him with a travel card, we were able to relieve some of the financial burden and stress of getting to appointments.


All these wins, big and small, create positive momentum in someone’s journey out of homelessness thanks to your support.

 
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