Day 7: Cathy

Holding her nine-month-old baby in her arms, Cathy is well aware that she is now in a place where she and her young son have the creature comforts they need to enter 2021 with a sense of hope.

This is not always something that she has had, but while 2020 has been a struggle for so many, all being well she will be able to look back on the year as the year she was able to feel her feet on solid ground.

Cathy’s Story

It had taken Cathy years, arguably all of her life, to get here. Her relationship with her own mother was never close and, three years ago, it broke down completely, leaving her with no home and condemning her to months of sofa surfing with friends and relatives.

Eventually, she was taken under the wing of Derventio Housing Trust, which found her some supported accommodation and then, eventually, helped her move into a Derby Homes property.

That was earlier this year, before she gave birth to her son, whose arrival meant she needed somewhere bigger to live and eventually led to relocate again to her current home elsewhere in the county.

And this, in Cathy’s mind, is where she wants to stay, although even it would not have been a place good enough to call home without the support of Deborah and Derventio’s Empowerment Fund, which was able to give her £500 to buy the furnishings necessary.

This is one of the biggest amounts that the fund is able to grant. It has bought Cathy a bed, duvet, sofas, a microwave and kitchen equipment – all of which, Deborah says, represents money well spent.

“Cathy is a very strong person and is very independent, but this year she needed some support so that she could sort herself out after what has happened to her over the past few years,” said Deborah.

“In that respect, she is different to many of the people I have worked with. She was holding down two jobs when she was living in shared accommodation but it was very clear that her need was for her own place, where she felt safe, with no-one else around.

“She has that now, but what’s made a huge difference is the fact that, thanks to the Empowerment Fund, and other funds that we have been able to access, she has been able to buy what she needs to make it a functional home.

“No matter who you are, getting all that stuff is a slow process and it’s only when you have it that you have the base you need to move on with your life.

“I’ve no doubt that if she hadn’t been able to access the fund then she would have given birth to her little boy in a mother and baby unit.

“No matter how independent and strong Cathy is, starting out on your own without money like that is an uphill struggle, and being given the money to set herself up in a house has made all the difference to her and put her in a position where she has what she needs to start 2021 in the right place.”

Get started

Join in with everyone else raising funds for us! Make a donation or set up your fundraising page and start raising money today: localgiving.org/fundraisers

Contact Us

Want to chat through your ideas with us? We’ll be happy to help in any way we can.

Created with
Mailchimp Freddie Badge
Facebook icon
Twitter icon
LinkedIn icon

© 2020 Derventio Housing Trust