A number of traumatic events led to Leah becoming homeless. Being given a mobile phone, helped her to access support and regain her independence.
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After a series of life-changing events led to her becoming homeless, at last Leah is ‘starting to feel normal again’.
When the stress of her impending divorce became too much for her, naturally Leah turned to her best friend – her mum – for moral support. They spent many hours on the phone discussing the future and planning a new life away from her controlling husband.
But her mum’s sudden and unexpected death was simply too much for Leah to cope with, and she suffered a prolonged mental health episode that led to her losing her job and eventually her home. In the days that followed, she endured terrifying nights alone, sleeping rough on the streets.
When Framework’s Street Outreach Team found her one morning, shivering in a corner of the car park of the supermarket where she used to work, she was severely traumatised and had no possessions other than the clothes she was wearing.
Crippled by grief and in the midst of mental turmoil, Leah had lost everything and had entirely given up hope.
Attending regular therapy sessions and receiving a new mobile phone, provided by her Support Worker Dave, seemed to have a galvanizing effect on Leah.
The therapy sessions helped her to gradually come to terms with her divorce and the shock of suddenly losing her mum; having a mobile phone again enabled her to regain her sense of independence by accessing online support services, applying for jobs, using social media and – as she puts it herself – ‘starting to feel normal again’.
Now, filled with a fresh sense of purpose, Leah is determined to regain her independence and rebuild her life.
We are aiming to provide mobile phones and internet access for those we support as part of our Lifeline Appeal. Please donate here if you can, and make a difference that could literally save the life of someone who is sleeping rough.
