Lily's Story

Due to past trauma and relationship breakdowns, Lily spent a lot of her teenage years sofa surfing- but by the time she was 17, her situation escalated. 

Telling her story, Lily said “I became pregnant and moved in with my partner. Being a young mum and new to it all, it was a lot of stress - everything was piling on top of me. After I had my son, I was diagnosed with post-partum depression and fell into a dark place. My partner wasn’t helping, and the relationship then broke down- so I was kicked out of the house with my son. I also had an incident with my mum so couldn’t stay with her. But thankfully, my grandparents took me in”.

“I then started to receive help from The Bridge, and with my worker on Single Access Point supporting me, it released a lot of pressure. I got so much help and support - I felt like finally I was being worked with, instead of people working against me. In the past, I have been passed around to different services, so I didn’t know who to trust and was worried to open up. But through getting actual results with Single Access Point, I was able to open up more – it gave me the belief that things would get better. I was never left in the dark”. 

The Single Access Point explored Lily’s housing options with her, which resulted in them completing a housing application together for her and her son. Talking about this support, Lily said “I’m dyslexic and can’t read or write. Without the help to make these applications, I wouldn’t be in the place I am now. My worker encouraged and supported me to be more positive and go out there and progress. I’m now just waiting on the application decision but am looking forward to having a home for me and my son”.

“Once my housing application is sorted and I’m in a more stable place I’m looking to do a college course, to create a stable future for me and my son – and so my son has a role model, too”.

Reflecting on her journey, Lily said: “Now I feel like me again. I haven’t felt like this in such a long time. If it wasn’t for The Bridge, I wouldn’t be in the place I am today”.