Andi

I remember meeting a guy (Andi) on outreach and telling him about the shelter. That evening, he popped up to the shelter, and the only way I can describe him was like a closed book; he was quiet, hood up, and wouldn’t take his rucksack off. We made him tea and had a chat with him. This was pretty normal at the shelter for people to pop in for a warm drink and something to eat.

Eoin

We first met Eoin at one of the winter night churches , he looked lost and very bewildered.

We explained to him who and what Off the Streets was and how we would try and help him .

We offered him a place at the shelter and he seemed relieved to know that he would have a bed and a base to leave his belongings, and he wouldn’t have to keep carrying his rucksack around.

In time Eoin began to relax and the barrier began to go down. He would join in with the banter, card games, and the pamper nights!

Mark

For someone that has been let down, trust means everything.

Mark was one of our shelter guests, he was a gamble, but I believed he could turn his life around with the right support and the right people around him.
Like any call we receive, we do ask for some vital information and so, it was during this time that we found out the homeless lady whose name was Pat and was 69 years old, and I remember the first thought that went through my head: it wasn’t a case of how are we going to help this lady, it was more a case of “ok lets get her to the shelter!”.

I prepared the shift manager at the shelter, and the team were ready to greet her.

Pat

In the middle of a fundraising event we received a call from one of the soup kitchens asking for advice as they had a homeless elderly lady that had nowhere to go and only the clothes she was in.

Like any call we receive, we do ask for some vital information and so, it was during this time that we found out the homeless lady whose name was Pat and was 69 years old, and I remember the first thought that went through my head: it wasn’t a case of how are we going to help this lady, it was more a case of “ok lets get her to the shelter!”.

I prepared the shift manager at the shelter, and the team were ready to greet her.