Our renter, Jo, was one of them. Jo is a talented artist, but her income was irregular and often low. She simply couldn’t afford secure housing of her own. She started house-sitting – minding peoples’ pets while they went on holiday and couch-surfing at friends’ places. The constant stress and anxiety of finding shelter took a terrible toll on her mental health. “I was hopping from one sofa to the next… it was awful,” she says, recalling her lowest moment when she couldn’t afford food and didn’t know where her next meal would come from.

Then Jo was offered hope. Through her connection to Matrix Guild, a long term supporter of ours, Jo was offered a WPI home and In 2017 she moved into her own one-bedroom apartment.

“Since I’ve been living here my mental health has improved and I feel like me again. When I was homeless, I was stressed, agitated… I didn’t feel like me anymore. I didn’t even know who I was. These days I appreciate everything I have – hot water, fresh food that’s not out of a bin, my lovely window that lets in the sunlight. Every day when I come home I say “Hello Jo’s flat”. It sounds silly but it’s my home and I will never take that for granted.”

With stable housing, Jo has now become an advocate for homeless women, working to raise awareness of the issues surrounding older women’s homelessness. She is living in one of the newest WPI homes because issues with her mobility made the stairs to her original apartment very difficult. She is absolutely loving it and has made really important connections in her community. “Now I am properly living, rather than just existing.” Jo said.

A stable and affordable home is the foundation for a happy and health life and that’s why we are committed to opening the doors to more homes for vulnerable women.