Sitting on the bed, I looked around at my new bedroom.
This is your fresh start, Stephy, I thought.
Unzipping my small backpack, I put the few bits and bobs I had away into drawers, feeling nervous but excited.
Life hadn’t been kind to me over the years – it had taken a toll on my mental health and meant I’d found myself homeless.
But after being referred to a hostel in Tyne and Wear in November 2022, I knew it was my chance to get back on track.
The hostel was warm and cosy, and I felt safe.
There were six other people living in the hostel and I met a few here and there, when I was getting a cuppa in the kitchen or hanging out in the communal living– everyone mostly kept themselves to themselves, but it seemed like a nice group.
