Martin’s Story

LMartin Hadleyike most of our guests, Martin’s story is one of a kind…
Born in London in the 1940s, Martin emigrated to Australia aged 16 by a Big Brother Movement organised by his local church. This is where he lived for the next 40 years, starting a family and working in various agricultural jobs.
In 2003, Martin went to Thailand where he met his second wife and thought that he had finally met his happy ever after. Then due to a tsunami, he spent two years searching for his wife’s family who were missing and also lost a cafe he was just about to open before the tsunami hit. Again, Martin worked very hard to get a job teaching English and Social Studies.
Just as he was getting back on his feet, he lost his wife to cancer. Martin later discovered that he too had cancer and had multiple tumours on his face. Having had 3 operations, Martin was told he could not return to his old job teaching due to his new “scary” appearance. Martin told us that appearance is very important in Thai culture.
Martin had a further setback when hoping to retire in Australia where his children are still living. However, according to Australian Immigration Martin was not a resident of Australia and he did not qualify for residency. Martin had no other option at this point but to return to the UK much to his children’s horror. They were very worried about him.
He came here with £900 and stayed in a cheap hostel whilst trying to sort out his pension. No country that Martin had lived in seemed to be able to support him. Martin ended up rough sleeping with 11p in his pocket before he was referred to us at Shelter From The Storm.
Martin’s been with us for a month and he has just received his pension. He is so excited to finally settle down in a house in the Lake District.
Now when asked to describe how he feels in three words: ‘Brilliant, Lucky, Excited’.
We are so happy for you Martin, and wish you all the best. Congratulations and we’ll miss you!

Our very own World Record Holder!

Forget Mad Max, we’ve got Mad Mike:

Michael Mercer, great friend of SFTS, has recently become a Guinness World Record holder, all in aid of the shelter. Against all better judgement, he accepted the challenge to complete the London Marathon (all 26.2miles!) wearing a sleeping bag.  We’re very proud of him completing the course in 4 hours 20 minutes and raising over two thousand pounds.  If anyone else would like to do something equally daredevil, please contact us at SFTS Record Breakers HQ

Hackney Half Marathon

Our Hackney Half Marathon Superstars.  Team SFTS SMASHED IT this year and raised over eight thousand pounds. We counted them out and we counted them all back in. Lots of sore knees but no serious injuries – phew! Magnificent effort guys!

Meet a volunteer: Franck

photo (2)I first became interested in volunteering at Shelter from the Storm after a friend reminded me that anyone can help to make a difference in their community. And at the shelter, I believe I’m doing just that!

Since volunteering here I have encountered an extremely loving and supportive community of volunteers all working to help out the guests. I’m also impressed by the support that the guests show one another; there is a real feeling of family!

And although the shelter keeps the guests safe I think everyone knows what the real solution is: building more social housing!

As a trainee lawyer, I’ve been interested to hear about the shelter’s in house legal clinics. They sound like an innovative way of helping the guests receive sound legal advice and am hoping to use my skills to help out wherever possible.

Meet a guest Jaidah

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I knew from the age seven that I was a girl but when I told my parents they laughed it off, they just thought I was gay!  At fourteen I finally made my move to transition; I just started dressing as a girl, as far as I was concerned I was a girl.  I dropped out of school at twelve because of bullying and attended a referral unit, but that was even more brutal.  From twelve to fourteen I was unschooled till they sent me to stay with an aunt in Margate where I had to play ‘straight’, which was soul destroying.   Back then you couldn’t start testosterone blockers and oestregen treatment till you were eighteen and I was twenty-one before I could eventually start hormone therapy.

Mum and Dad have been very supportive and chilled about my identity but I have a troubled relationship one of my brothers. A few weeks ago we had a horrible fight and I was kicked out.  I was street homeless for a week and it was really scary.  People offered me drugs, they offered me a roof over my head in return for sex; it was terrifying!

When The Albert Kennedy Trust referred me to SFTS I was pretty anxious but as soon as I arrived I was made really welcome, everyone is relaxed and kind; I feel safe now. I don’t want to leave in the mornings because who knows what’s going to happen on the street?

The shelter is helping me look for work and accommodation and I’m trying to finish my Music and Performance course at college.  I’m determined to fulfil my dream of becoming a music teacher; it may take a bit of time, but I know I’ll get there in the end.

Good bye David, we’ll miss you!

We’d like to say a huge thank you to David Sumners who is stepping down as a trustee after four and a half amazing years.  David has helped steer us through our transition to becoming one of the most highly regarded charities in our field. We wish you the very best of luck for the future.

Meet a guest Iris

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There is no “average” homeless person; there are instead people like Iris, who happens to be homeless. Radiant with confidence and chat, Iris has experienced more at 21 than most experience in a lifetime.

Iris left a chaotic, single-parent home in her early teens and moved in with a boyfriend soon after. She fell pregnant and had a daughter, now five years old; while the birth of her daughter was a blessing, Iris’s new living situation was even more chaotic than the one she had fled. Iris feared for her safety in her own home, and was forced to leave her partner – and their daughter – when he became abusive. Years of couchsurfing and substance abuse followed, but Iris held out hope, overcame her addictions, and resolved to take control of her life.

At Shelter from the Storm, Iris has found support and regained the confidence she lost while homeless and unemployed. She is a star employee at Waitrose and hopes to be housed soon, as much for her daughter’s sake as her own; of everything she has to look forward to, Iris is most excited about being back with her daughter, building the kind of peaceful, stable home that she herself never had.

Meet a Guest Suzy

 

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Meet a Guest Suzy

 

Suzy is 20 years old and moved in with her 21-year-old partner in 2013. From the start the relationship was abusive, with regular episodes of violence involving the police. On Christmas Eve this year he stamped on her foot so hard that he broke her ankle in two places. She was admitted to hospital but he visited her on Christmas day when he smashed her broken foot into the metal bed frame. The police were called and he was arrested, but bailed to his and Suzy’s home. When she was discharged from hospital after two weeks, the Domestic Violence charity that was trying to help her was unable to find a refuge. The Council told her that she wasn’t vulnerable, she had no priority and that she was ‘Lewisham’s problem’! Eventually, they contacted us and luckily we were able to offer Suzy a bed. Suzy was worried about being in a mixed environment, but she says feels safe at SFTS. She has an interview for supported housing tomorrow and today her ex was sentenced to six years for GBH. We really hope to be saying bye bye to Suzy very soon!