You've given Beverly an extra special Christmas gift

We were completely heartened by your generous response to our Christmas Appeal and the story of Beverly*, who turned her life around after reaching out to Hutt St Centre. Donations to our Christmas Appeal were received from caring South Australians like you, to support people like Beverly, who desperately want to end homelessness and rebuild their lives. Your kindness was such an incredible outpouring of support, thank you!

Beverly enjoyed an amazing gift this year - her first ‘proper’ Christmas Day in eight years, waking up on Christmas morning with her youngest daughter to unwrap presents and enjoy Christmas lunch, before heading to her much-loved workplace, a retirement village.

For a mother, when you are separated from your children it can feel like you have lost a piece of your heart. Beverly spent eight long years feeling the grief of separation, after she fled a violent partner and became separated from her daughters, and five years living on the streets, with no safe and comforting home.

It was Beverly’s own horrific upbringing that left her troubled and alone, battling low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Having experienced very little love and nurturing when she was young, Beverly struggled to feel ‘whole’ and said her life
seemed “like a barren paddock that was brown and dead.”

Beverly’s strength of spirit despite her life experiences is inspirational. When we met her, she was coming to Hutt St for a warm shower and meal, before heading in for her shift work.

But it's hard maintaining work without a home, and Beverly's casual shifts became fewer and fewer. She began to fear for her future. Fortunately, Beverly took the step to speak to our Case Workers and was quickly offered comfort and support.

With encouragement and emotional support from Hutt St, Beverley undertook re-training in hospitality and first aid, went for a job interview - and got the job!

The change in Beverly has been phenomenal, and it is all thanks to you. With regular work, a feeling of security and value and growing confidence, she has secured a home of her own and has reconnected with her daughters – her greatest dream come true.

After getting the help she needed through Hutt St Centre, Beverly has become a volunteer at a service that helps reunite children with their parents following a period of separation. She understands that these relationships can often be complex, but she also knows they’re possible.

"I now feel like a very smart and kind Mum. I’m happy and joyful in my life for the first time ever!"

Back to The Word from the Street, Autumn 2020 

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of people who have kindly allowed us to share their story