Real Story - Sophie
A Place of her own
Severe mental health problems are often a one-way ticket to homelessness. Sufferers fluctuate between periods in hospital, in cheap accommodation and on the streets, and they frequently find it difficult to live with others.
Sophie has paranoid schizophrenia. After yet another stay in a psychiatric ward, she was referred to Wesley Mission’s Edward Eagar Lodge. The team there got to know Sophie and recommended she try living in a place of her own, with regular assistance from Wesley Mission staff.
There were some initial hiccups. She had been evicted from other places for chanting loudly late at night and began to do this in the new accommodation found for her. Her caseworker, Justin, explained the situation, and Sophie responded positively and stopped.
Sophie has now been in her unit for eight months - an amazing achievement for someone with paranoid schizophrenia.
Justin emphasises the value of stable accommodation for homeless people with a mental illness. “It’s the opportunity to sit back without being in a perpetual state of anxiety. They’re not feeling constantly threatened.”
- Learn more about Sophie and her unique problems by downloading The Wesley Report: Keeping minds well: mental health is everybody’s business.
- You can also help us to help others like Sophie. Donate today.
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