Sam’s Story
Sam* spent years sofa-surfing after his marriage ended. Time spent at Your Place was a stepping stone to starting his next chapter in his own flat
I had been sofa-surfing for a while before coming to Your Place, almost four years in total after my marriage ended. I originally went back to my family but my mum wasn’t well, and she was living far away from my daughters and my job, so it wasn’t suitable for me to stay there, and I ended up sofa-surfing.
I made a homelessness referral for myself to Newham, and was soon nominated for a homeless shelter. I was told I’d be getting a call from Your Place, and after my appointment a week later, I was offered a room there.
I stayed at Your Place for about fifteen months, and for me it was the perfect base. I got all the support I needed, and to be honest I was happy having a roof over my head.
"My daughters live nearby so it’s great to be close to them. I feel like I’ve won the lottery!"
The support I got at Your Place was really broad; anything I needed help with, or was unsure about, someone was there to talk it through with me. Any issues with Universal Credit, appointments I had to go to, it was all covered; the key workers were there to back me up. My key worker, James, was great, and so were the others.
Now that I’ve moved out, I can still get support for nine months, like if I’ve got questions around setting up the new flat. I’ve never lived on my own before, so it’s good to know that someone’s there to ask questions if I need it.
The bidding process for getting my flat was hard, but Your Place helped me with it, and getting nominated. My new place is lovely; at first, I was told that it would need decorating, but I love getting involved with DIY, so I was excited for that. I had an online viewing and it was exactly how I wanted it; I couldn’t believe my luck. My daughters live nearby so it’s great to be close to them. I feel like I’ve won the lottery!
I’m an avid fisherman, despite living in London; I do a lot of canal fishing. You can catch a lot of things around East London, and I enjoy the process of catching fish and putting them back. It’s so relaxing and therapeutic. Family life is also really important to me, and I love having my daughters around now I’ve got my own flat.
If it wasn’t for Your Place, I wouldn’t be in this flat now; I’d probably still be sofa-surfing. Now I feel like I can get back to some sort of normality.
*Image via Centre for Homelessness Impact. Sam requested that his photograph and real name were not used.
