Young woman says homelessness charity saved her from life on Portsmouth's streets
ITV News Meridian's Nicki Woodcock spoke to Phoebie Grant about her experience of homelessness
A young woman living in Portsmouth, Hampshire, says she would still be sleeping rough on the streets if it wasn't for a local charity.
Phoebie Grant, 26, was left feeling scared, lonely and vulnerable before The Society of St James (SSJ) stepped in. She was offered a space in emergency accommodation and is now thriving.
Phoebie said: "I had to sleep in a tent for a couple of nights. It was a bit of an eye-opening experience, it was quite scary as well.
"I think being a young woman, and I do suffer from alcohol and drug misuse, I was quite vulnerable and it was just a very painful and lonely time to be honest.
"I felt like ‘What am I going to do?’ ‘Is this going to be my situation forever?’ I felt like I hit rock bottom.
"I never thought it would happen to me but it did and that was quite a humbling experience to be honest and it really made me realise how much people who are homeless struggle, because it is painful.
"I was quite lucky in the sense that it was summer, but at times like this when it’s winter I can only just imagine the pain and the suffering that they must be going through. It's heartbreaking."
Phoebie is one of around 3,500 people supported by the charity every year.
Lee Taylor previously suffered from addiction, but has turned his life around, now working as a support worker alongside those who helped him.
Lee said: "The amount of times I’ve had clients say ‘You don’t know what it’s like’ and then when you say ‘I do’ they respond to that and they respect it, and you know how to signpost them to the correct places and you know how it feels. I’ve never had a job I cared about until now and I love it."
Phoebie said: "I never knew there was a service out there that could do what the people at SSJ did. When I came to them they were just so empathetic, they were so understanding.
"They genuinely cared and I think that's what really stood out for me and gave me a bit of that glimmer of hope back.
"I was sleeping in a tent not too long ago and there was no possibility of even claiming anywhere as a home, and having all my stuff, safety and security, that’s what SSJ have provided for me. It’s amazing."
The charity is hoping to raise £50,000 this Christmas to fund its vital work to ensure everyone has a place to call home.
For this year’s Christmas campaign, an online advent calendar has been created, highlighting the charity’s life-changing work.
Tania Marsh, Chief Executive, said: "The difference that it makes in people’s lives is really quite overwhelming. All day, every day, we end people’s homelessness, person by person, bespoke to them. We can’t do that without the support of other people. We can’t do that on our own."
Jessica Lara Ridge founded the charity 'A Touch of Magic', which raises money for good causes. Last year, she raised more than £10,000 for SSJ.
Jessica said: "What stood out for me with The Society of St James was that they don’t only help at the very beginning, it’s a path from rough sleeping to independent living.
"They support people through everything, the whole way, and I thought that that was really important."
Phoebie hopes to one day become part of the SSJ team and use her experience to help others facing the same situation.
Phoebie said: "What they’ve given me is an absolute brand new lease of life.
"They’ve given me the inspiration now to get into this work as well because I want to give what they’ve given to me freely and just absolutely just wish I can pass it on because what they’ve done for me, no words can ever describe."
For advice and support on homelessness you can contact the following organisations
The Society of St James 023 8063 4596
Knight Support Street Link 0300 500 0914
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