David's story

Support Crisis at Christmas today

Donating to our Crisis at Christmas appeal can help someone like David start to build their life beyond homelessness. Here's his story... 

“I have severe arthritis so I can’t work anymore. After my relationship broke down, I was staying with my daughter and her boyfriend. The pressure of living in an overcrowded home grew and the boyfriend kicked me out.

“I was completely lost. I thought, ‘What do I do now?’ I had nowhere to go and I was going to be walking round the streets with a big suitcase and a walking stick.

“I had no money for food. My other daughter booked me three nights in a hotel, because my parents said I couldn’t stay with them in Bournemouth.

“I phoned up the council and they got me a place in a hostel, and that’s where I first got in touch with Crisis. I made an appointment, and pretty soon after I met Kaitlyn, my lead worker. The first day I met her, she seemed to bring out this ability in me. She’s a very kind person who has helped me so much. Crisis has such beautiful, genuine people. 

“I’ve always loved music and writing, but I’d stopped for years. Kaitlyn encouraged me to start writing poetry and lyrics again. One day we’d done some writing and she said it was absolutely brilliant. And I thought, ‘Someone likes what I’m writing’, so that gave me the confidence to write more – about life in general, the world, injustices; anything really.

“It was wonderful – just a little compliment, a little bit of kindness. I think giving people confidence and making them feel good is a part of building them up. She also helped me with housing and got me much higher on the list for places. So things were looking up. 

“Around Christmas in the hostel, I put up a little tree, only about three foot, just stood on the table in my room. Kaitlyn, my lead worker told me about a wellbeing day at the Skylight Centre in Newcastle. The camaraderie was great. Everyone was lovely. I had a haircut, a massage – a mince pie! It’s what Christmas should be about really. Not too materialistic, just helping other people.

“Crisis gave me a tablet that day too, so I’m able to keep writing, which is lovely. I’d like to find a musician to put my poems and lyrics to music.

“I also had an eye test. My sight has deteriorated as I’ve got older, but I didn’t have a pair of glasses for four or five months. It’s important for reading letters, filling in forms and that sort of thing. I picked up my glasses from the Skylight five days later.

“I’d been bidding for places with Kaitlyn, but wasn’t getting anywhere. It’d been a time where I’d have a lot of horrible lows that really clout you over the head. But I’ve always kept a positive attitude – if things go wrong, at some point it’ll pick up.

“I saw one place and liked it because there was space for all my records. I bid for it and about three weeks later, it was mine. So many times, I’ve said to Kaitlyn ‘Thank you for getting me this’, and she keeps saying ‘No, you did it by yourself’. She’s such a kind person.

“Crisis seem to be going out of their way to help people long term, all year round. I’m so grateful.

“In the hostel, I didn’t have any freedom. I was given what they cooked, and it was often inedible. I had a Christmas dinner that made me ill for all of Boxing Day. Now I’ve got freedom to cook nicely. I can do my own thing here, listen to my records, you know? There’s no-one knocking on the door. I can shut the door and that’s it.”

Find out more about our Crisis at Christmas appeal and how you can help to change someone's life this year.