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Case Studies
My name is ...
My name is Nathan... I became homeless when my partner that I’d lived with for eight years passed away. After that my life went downhill. My partner had taken care of the bills and things and I wasn’t able to do that myself. I did try, but mucked things up a bit. It worked for a while, but going back to an empty flat I got stuck in a rut and thought to myself ‘don’t you feel like packing your bags and starting somewhere else?’
My name is ...
My name is Daniel Powell... I am 21 years of age and lived at the YMCA hostel in The Walk for a year. I was brought up in the valleys and lived with my mother and her boyfriend. I couldn’t relate to my mother’s boyfriend so I always used to cause a drama in the house to get my mother’s attention, and started hanging about with the wrong crowd.
My name is ...
My name is Ashley... I was homeless, jobless and penniless I aimlessly walked the streets of Cardiff, un-acclimatised in the cold May weather with just my tropical clothes. I was freezing! After two days of running around, being sent here and there by all the different authorities, I was eventually pointed into the direction of the Cardiff YMCA. My Saviour!
My name is ...
My name is Jamie Owen... I was asked whether I would be interviewed for this report because I have lived in three of the YMCA’s projects and used three of its schemes during the year I’ve been here. I agreed because I’ve had a lot of help from the staff and am happy to say that in this report. I fell out with my mother and stepfather when I was 17 and was kicked out of the family home. I’d sort of known this would happen so I’d already found out that I could get some advice...
My name is ...
My name is Gareth Jones…. By the time you are reading this I will have been to Milan to play football with the Wales Street Soccer team. This isn’t exactly what was on my mind when I came to live here but it’s a good result! My life was quite ordinary – I lived happily at home until I was 18 when I moved out to live with my girlfriend. We had a baby but then split up. For complicated reasons, my girlfriend couldn’t keep our son so I applied for custody...
My name is ...
My name is Paul. I was placed at The Ambassador hostel by the council after being thrown out of the place I had called home for 2 years. Being homeless was something I knew nothing about – I thought homelessness was probably self inflicted and just for people who had drugs problems – not for someone like me. Since being here I have completely changed my view – not just about homelessness, but also about myself and what I can do. This is my story...
My name is Donna Cowling ...
I am 35 years of age and have lived at the YMCA hostel in The Walk for nearly a year. Before I came to the hostel I had had my own tenancy, but had suffered a very scary burglary which left me too frightened to go back there. When I left I spent 2 nights literally on the street. I had never slept (if that’s the right word) on the street before and even though I’ve been no angel myself in the past, I was terrified of being out and on my own.
My name is John Hatsumi ...
... and I am 40 years old. I have been living in YMC8 for a few years now and it’s a really good place to be. Let me tell you a bit about myself so you will see for yourself the difference it has made to my life.
I have mental and physical health problems. I was diagnosed with a mental illness in 1981 and after having meningitis, I had to have a brain operation to put a shunt in my head. Before coming to the ...
My name is Nasreen Karvouniaris ...
A year ago I’d have laughed at you if you’d said what I’d be like today ‘cos I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near where I am now. I’m 32 and up until February this year I’d always lived at home. There were family problems at home that made life difficult, but I was also using drugs – and had been for 10 years. What a waste! I was in a mess and got in trouble – I was a bad person. I’d try to come off now and again but it never worked, maybe ...
My name is Mathew Lee and my dog is Zarley ...
I came to the YMCA in October 2007. I had been homeless for quite a while after having to give up a council flat because of harassment, abuse and actual assault on both me and my dog by neighbours and their friends. I don’t know why they did it but it may have been because I was different, being the only one working in the block. My dog was only a pup then and they had even put ...
My name is ...
I am a refugee from the Sudan and don’t want my name or photograph printed owing to possible reprisals. I came to the UK in October 2006 on my own – I was 21 years old. I stayed in Barnsley, then London and came to Cardiff in July 07 because I’d been told about the Sudanese community here. The Refugee Council found me a place in a shared house, but when I found a job I moved on to a privately rented house that I ...