Guest stories: Anthony

Anthony, 45, was born in the UK, but left with his family for Nigeria when he was five.  He came back here when he was 18.

I came to the Shelter in September (2011).  Last May I was living in Bermondsey but couldn’t afford the rent so had to move out.  For the following five months, I was all over the place – using any savings I had to stay in hostels or anywhere.  By September I’d run out of money.  I had nowhere to go.  Without Shelter from the Storm I honestly don’t know where I’d be.  If you can’t sleep anywhere, or don’t get food, you can’t even think about getting a job and helping yourself.

The shelter gave me the chance to collect myself – I didn’t have to worry about where my next meal was coming from.  If it hadn’t been for here I could be dead, especially when you think about how cold it’s been recently.  Since coming to the shelter, I’ve managed to get a job doing administration and book keeping for a movie company. They’re going to make me permanent staff next month, which is cool.  And I’ve got a flat near Catford that I’m moving into soon as well.  I will miss the shelter, but I can’t wait to get my own room and my own space.  I would love to come back as a volunteer one day.  I want to give something back.  I might give myself a few months break though!

Skydive for Shelter from the Storm

Ever wanted to throw yourself out of a plane? Well now you can – and all for a great cause. We’ve teamed up with a skydive school to Reading to give 40 lucky people the opportunity to experience what it’s like to freefall on Saturday 8 September 2012. All we ask is that you raise £400 for the shelter.

This will be an unforgettable experience for those brave enough to take part – if you’re interested, fill in this short form and we’ll be in touch with more details or simply create your Justgiving page by clicking on the button below. If you have any questions about this, drop an email to comms@sfts.org.uk. Thank you!

Guest Stories: Andrej

Andrej with his Pret colleagues

Andrej with his Pret colleagues

Andrej, a 19 year old Lithuanian man, was a guest of Shelter from the Storm between May and November 2011 before he found his own place. Here’s his story.

I moved over from Lithuania in March 2010 when I was 18 years old. I started work as a dishwasher in a number of hotels. There was a guy in one of my jobs who was bullying me and one day, we got into a fight – we both lost our jobs. After a couple of weeks, without a job, I couldn’t pay my rent and became homeless. I would sleep in buses and on trains – I made a map of places where I could get into them where there were no barriers. For food, I’d collect the competition stamps from Macdonalds – the ones where if you had enough, you could get free food.

I was still looking for jobs and going for job interviews at the time but I couldn’t shower and I don’t think I gave the best impression.

I was then put in touch with Alone in London – they gave me some money for food and referred me to Shelter from the Storm. A few days later, I was living there. Shelter from the Storm helped me – the other guests and the volunteers are nice. I really enjoyed it there.

I was still looking for a job and Louie put in me touch with Pret*. I got a job there in July and they’ve really looked after me. I did a three-month paid apprenticeship and during that time, they gave me free travel allowance and vouchers for clothes. When I finished the apprenticeship, they helped me to buy a laptop.

At Pret, I’m a member of team and I do everything from organizing the float, to serving people, cooking hot food and even being a barista. It’s a good job – they’ve given me some great training. I’m now training to become a shift leader with lots of responsibility.

I still come back to Shelter from the Storm for dinner. Thanks to Louie and Sheila for taking me in and helping me get the job.

* Pret partners with Shelter from the Storm to help some of the young guests obtain training and work experience at their stores.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

x2_9df545c (1)Over Christmas, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness of people who have opened their hearts – and their wallets – for Shelter from the Storm.

Our Xmas fete on Islington Green on 17 December was a huge success with hundreds of people taking part, helping us raise close to £6,000 – a fantastic result.

And the generosity didn’t stop there. Through our Xmas appeal, supported by great coverage in various press articles, we raised in total over £20,000 which will go a long way in helping us fulfill some of our ambitions for the shelter, including:

  • Providing our guests with a counseling service one night a week
  • Providing regular medical support and surgeries
  • Building a mezzanine floor to provide a treatment and counselling room, a clothing store and space for language and IT tuition
  • Building a new shower block and refurbishing our shelter to enable us to provide a more comfortable environment for our guests.

And, of course, it will go towards the smooth day-to-day running of the shelter.

Thank you all so very much.

Xmas fete 2011 success

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Thank you so much to everyone who visited, worked at, organised and promoted our xmas fete on Islington Green last weekend. It was a huge success and we raised close to £6000 which will go a long way in helping us help our guests in 2012.

Come on down to Shelter from the Storm’s xmas fete 2011

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Come one, come all to the festive event of the year: Shelter from the Storm’s xmas fete from 12-6pm on Islington Green, Angel, on 17 December.

We have all sorts of fun, festive things in store: santa’s grotto, gifts galore, a kids craft area, mulled wine, hot food, cakes and mince pies, vintage clothes, books and art.

Good times. And it’s all for a good cause. It’s free to attend and all the money raised from the event will go straight back into Shelter from the Storm.

You can also take part in our raffle bonanza – tickets are only £1 each – and be in the running to win some awesome prizes, including:

  • Arsenal Family Stadium Tour
  • de Longhi Espresso machine (£250)
  • Fortnum & Mason Hamper £250
  • ghd hair straighteners
  • Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne
  • An iphone
  • A blackberry
  • 6 fragrances (Armani, Gucci and Hugo Boss), mixed men’s and women’s
  • 4 tickets to watch Soccer AM Live
  • 3 pairs of tickets for comedy shows
  • Hairdo Pimps & Pinups Spitalfields
  • 3x£20 Voucher Vintage stalls Camden Passage
  • Fruit Hamper Taylor & Son Chapel Market
  • £20 voucher from “The only place for pictures” 216 upper street
  • de Longhi Espresso machine worth £250.00
  • Bouquet of flowers voucher Theberton st. florist)
  • DAB Radio (Chapel St Electrical Store)
  • 2 tickets to a West End Show
  • 3 boxes of Prestat chocolates
  • 2 Tickets for Justice at Brixton Academy – Feb 2012
  • 2 Tickets for NME awards tour at Brixton Academy – Feb 2012
  • Front Cover Make up kit
  • £20.00 Foyles book token
  • 2 tickets Shaftsbury theatre
  • Lunch for 2 at Rochelle canteen
  • £50.00 voucher Pizza East

If you want tickets, get in touch at mail@sfts.org.uk.

Lock the date in now, people – it’s going to be big. Looking forward to seeing you there.

But if you can’t, you can always support our xmas appeal at www.sfts.org.uk/xmas.

Guest stories: Ayoke

Meet Ajoke, one of our former guests. When Ajoke joined us, she had been rescued from sex trafficking. We provided a safe, caring environment in which to sleep and, as our guest, we supported her through her pregnancy and secured legal representation for her, which enabled her to gain leave to remain. She recently moved into her own flat but visits regularly – mother and baby are doing well.

Guest Stories: William

Meet William. William had been on the street and the booze for 50 years before coming to stay at Shelter from the Storm. Last week, after months of being our guest, we supported him to access sheltered housing. Here, he talks about his experience as our guest.