Peter’s Story

Peter shares his experience of the support he received at the Welcome Centre…

“I lost my house due to mortgage arrears on the 16th of September.”  

I stayed with different friends for a while but eventually those options ran out. I had nowhere else to go, so I presented as homeless for the first time on the 14th of October. I remember those dates. You never forget those things when something like this happens to you.

When I got to the council, they told me that I would have to put my dogs in a kennel because no lodging would take me if I kept them. Now, that was never going to happen! I couldn’t imagine giving up my dogs. I would have just slept in my car rather than put my dogs in a kennel.

So, it was looking like I was going to be rough sleeping because when I left the council, they said that there was nowhere for me to go. But I guess they phoned you guys after I left because, 10 minutes later, they gave me a call and said that if I got to the Welcome Centre as soon as possible, there was still one room available.

I got myself in a cab and down to you guys right away. And I remember just being so relieved when I got here because there was a space for me. And I sort of couldn’t believe it because there’s so many people who have it worse. A lot of the guys here, they’ve got stories of having to rough sleep for weeks or months. I know I couldn’t have made it out there.

It was you guys who got me in with Stephen and he was able to help me to get a place to move to. I had come in all irate because I’d just had a really bad phone call and was told I was going to have to get a lawyer to fight to keep my house. I didn’t know what to do. But once I had talked to Stephen and he said he would help me, I burst into tears. I just needed to know I had the help because this is all new to me. It’s been a huge learning curve because I’ve never been in the homeless system before. I’ve never seen this side of things.  

Now that I’m leaving and getting a new home, I know it will be a big change for me. I’m used to taking care of myself. I’ve had my own place since I was 18 and the house I just lost, I’ve been living in since 2003, so this will be a change for me. But everything with my house was such a downward spiral and I’m glad to see the back of it.  

“You can’t be more helpful than this place. Everybody who works here is great and I can’t thank you guys enough. It’s been perfect.”

Now I’m just dying for a game of golf and a ride on my cycle.