I never thought it would happen to me.
I had worked for over 20 years in restaurants and kitchens. I had two beautiful children and loving parents.
Despite that, I became homeless last year. You would never have guessed if you walked past me in the street, but I no longer had a home to call my own.
Because of my two children, I didn't end up sleeping on the streets, but I now know how easily that can happen.
We had been living happily in our rented house in Fishponds for seven years, but the house had fallen into a bad state, and we had to leave to allow the repairs to be done.
A knee operation meant that I was no longer working, and I realised that there was no-where affordable in Bristol if you are on housing benefit.
Even places that were tiny, smelly and dirty were out of our budget.
When you are on housing benefit the door is closed in your face. People don't even respond to your emails.
I had no idea where we were going to end up and that was scary, so I went to the council and declared myself homeless. We were given temporary accommodation.
The worst bit was the guilt. I felt like a failure as a mum because I wasn't able to look after my family properly.
Before I became homeless I started volunteering at St Mungo's and while living in temporary accommodation this became a full time role. The job has been so important to me, as it has given me a sense of purpose and really helped my mental health when I was at my lowest point.
It has been a distressing journey, full of tears and sleepless nights, but a few weeks ago, me and my daughters moved into a council home in Barton Hill.
It is early days, but now we can finally settle down and put down roots. It's the little things like being able to put photos up, things that other people take for granted.
I know things might be difficult for you, and you might be scared, but there is help and support out there. You might feel too embarrassed to go to the council for help but please don't bury your head in the sand.
It's never too late to turn your life around.
Aged 40, Barton Hill.
I know what it is like to wake up on the streets.
I understand what you are going through as I started sleeping rough at the age of 17.
I didn't have the best start in life. I grew up on a council estate in south Bristol, and we didn't have a lot.
I left school at 13 without any qualifications, and got in with a bad crowd. It started with cannabis, but I soon moved on to crack and heroin. There were a lot of unhappy times.
At 17 I started sleeping rough and was addicted to drugs.
At that time all I had was my bedding, nothing else.
It is extremely stressful living on the streets, you are in a vulnerable situation and I saw a lot of bad things.
I used to look at people on their way to work and wonder “why can't that be me?”
But I felt I wasn't good enough. Each day I would wake up and not know where I could go to wash, eat or get in from the cold. I was scared.
There were a lot of services trying to help me, but at that point, I wasn't ready.
On the streets I didn't have any friends, but we did look out for each other when things got difficult. And people walking past and saying hello to me or asking how I was made a huge difference to my day. It made me realise that some people still saw me as a human being.
Thankfully people didn't give up on me.
After 13 years on the streets I tackled my addiction and got into supported housing.
It was a difficult period, as I finally had time to focus on where my life had gone wrong, but I was safe and supported and was given the space to work things out.
I spent two years in supported housing before getting my own council house. I was then able to start volunteering, and go back to college to get an education. I now work for a homeless charity.
I know what you are going through but if you take the support out there, you can turn your life around. You can have a roof over your head, take up hobbies and have fun.
I am living proof that there is a different life for you. You just need to be ready to reach out and take it.
Aged 47, Bedminster.
I know that you hate living in a hostel, but can see no way out.
Not everyone grows up in a loving and happy family.
When I was three, I was physically abused by my mother.
They said my injuries were similar to someone who had been in a car crash. My mother went to prison but what she did had a lasting impact on my life, leaving me disabled and partially blind.
I was adopted by members of my mother's family, but that was not a happy place to be either. There was always screaming and tension in the house.
My adopted parents are Jehovah Witnesses and they were very strict. I was not allowed friends outside the religion and grew up a lot quicker than anyone should have to.
I was unhappy living there, and moved into student accommodation just before my eighteenth birthday.
Although I had more freedom, I was in a bad place and tried to take my own life a couple of times.
I was really lonely and thought nobody wanted me and then I met a man. It was not a safe relationship. He repeatedly raped me, although at the time I didn't realise what he was doing really was rape.
My parents took me back in when I left student accommodation after my course, but they didn't want me there, and one day I came home and my entire life had been packed into bin bags. One day I had a home and the next day everything was gone.
I found a place in a hostel. Even though I wasn't sleeping on the street, I was homeless.
I got in to an abusive relationship with a much older man who slowly started to control me. Again I was sexually abused and when I moved into my own flat, he followed me. I eventually called the police.
It was at this point that I finally started to take steps to turn my life around, and enrolled on the 1625 mentoring course.
I'm in a much better place since I reached out for help and have hopes and dreams for the future. I am back at college retaking my GCSEs and I hope to one day go to university to study to be a mental health nurse. I'm also helping young people who have difficult pasts like me.
The one thing I wish I had done differently is get help sooner.
If abuse is happening in your home, and you don't feel safe, take action. There is help out there, but it's up to you to go and get it.
I could have given up a number of times, but I am still here, and I am still fighting.
Aged 24, Bedminster.
Letters from Lola, Danni and John have started to appear around the city
All three have very different experiences of homelessness, but their message is the same: you can turn your life around.
The key is to get help as soon as possible.
Are you, a friend or family member currently homeless or at risk of homelessness?
Visit our homelessness pages to find out how to get support from the council and the Caring Handbook for practical advice if you're experiencing homelessness or hardship.
Want to help someone who is currently homeless or at risk of homelessness?
If you're worried about someone who's rough sleeping, you can make a report to Streetlink Go to https://www.streetlink.org.uk/ (opens new window), a charity that connects homeless people to local services.
Donate just £17 to Safer off the Streets Go to https://www.fundsurfer.com/project/bristol-rough-sleeping-partnership (opens new window)(#SOSBristol) to provide a bed for the night for a homeless person.
You can also donate to 1625 Independent People Go to https://www.justgiving.com/1625independentpeople (opens new window) to support young people facing homelessness in the city.
Or use Tap for Bristol's Go to https://www.tapforbristol.org/ (opens new window) donation points around the city to give £3 to homelessness prevention and support services.
None of Bristol's night shelters can stay open without dedicated volunteers. If you could give up a night each week or month to support a homelessness shelter, please contact these charities:
- St Mungo's Go to https://www.mungos.org/ (opens new window), contact volunteerservices@mungos.org or call 020 3856 6160
- Julian Trust Go to https://www.juliantrust.org.uk/ (opens new window), contact volunteers@juliantrust.org.uk
- InHope Go to https://www.crisis-centre.org.uk/ (opens new window), call 0117 330 1230
- Caring in Bristol Go to https://caringinbristol.co.uk/ (opens new window), call 0117 9244 444
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