Northern Ireland woman's inspiring journey from homeless to hopeful

A Northern Ireland woman has bravely shared her story of going from homeless to hopeful ahead of Homelessness Awareness Week.

Arianna lost her mum in early childhood due to illness and went to live with her aunt who lived across the street , aged 12.

Her dad moved away to Scotland for work three days after his mum, Arianna’s granny died. Her aunt sadly died when Arianna was turning 21.

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At this stage she went back to live with her dad who had up to this point provided for her financially but had never been her primary caregiver.

Arianna struggled with her mental health at various stages of her childhood but it wasn’t until she was 21 that she disclosed to her GP how difficult she was finding things at home, largely due to her dad’s alcoholism which she had kept secret.

The GP referred her to a social worker who referred Arianna to MACS, Northern Ireland’s youth homelessness charity. Unable to continue living at home, Arianna spent some time sofa surfing, staying at her sister’s and some friend’s houses. MACS met her where she was and started supporting her via their floating support service.

Arianna describes this as a turning point, saying of her MACS support worker Gary: "I didn’t realise help like this existed. He helped me with all the aspects of my life that I needed help with; a lot of people don’t have parents who are able to do stuff for them but MACS helped me every little thing that I needed."

Arianna had previously been in a bad car accident which had left her traumatised so Gary drove her to health appointments, to legal and welfare appointments and helped her back into driving lessons to overcome her fear of driving.

MACS connected Arianna with the Housing Executive and helped her learn about the welfare system and which benefits she was entitled to while she got herself on her feet. She now has the keys to her own flat and is excited about embarking on a career helping other young people.

Arianna describes how MACS helped and encouraged her to enrol on a short course at Ulster University in Early Adversity and Developmental Trauma. She got the bug for learning and has since completed further educational courses in related topics.

She explained: "The courses helped me understand some of my own feelings and behaviours and how they’d been shaped by my early experiences. I hope one day I’ll be able to use this insight and knowledge to help others the way MACS has helped me.

"If it hadn’t been for MACS’s help I hate to think where I’d be now, possibly homeless or on the street. Instead, I feel hopeful about my future."

Arianna hopes to enrol on a psychology degree or a counselling course next year.

MACS Supporting Children and Young People (MACS) is the only youth-specific homelessness charity in Northern Ireland. MACS are challenging people to give up their bed for one night to raise funds towards the crucial housing and support services MACS provide to young people aged 16-25 who are at risk of, or experiencing homelessness in NI.

MACS will host the Sleep Out challenge at Banana Block in Belfast on December 5 to coincide with Homelessness Awareness Week facilitated by Homeless Connect, which aims to raise awareness of the reality of homelessness in NI.

Sleep Out is a fun-filled evening with stand-up comedy by Paddy Raff, a drum circle with The Gathering Drum and warm drinks and food courtesy of Bodega Bagels until 11pm when the challenge of sleeping out really begins.

Kate Martin, MACS’s CEO, said: “It would be impossible to recreate the fear, loneliness and discomfort of not having a safe place to call home but Sleep Out gives participants a glimpse into the reality some young people are facing.

“MACS was established over 30 years ago, the name is an acronym for Mulholland After Care Services as at that time we solely supported young people leaving care.

“Over time we’ve widened our support to help all young people who are at risk of homelessness. Unfortunately that demand is higher than ever. MACS support almost 700 young people aged 16-25 every year.“

She added: “Early intervention is so important in breaking the homelessness cycle before it spirals into longer term homelessness and the associated risks. When young people get the right support at the right time they really can and do progress away from homelessness and build brighter futures.

“At MACS we concentrate on intensive longer term services; typically each young person receives up to two years of services. Our support is holistic, wrap-around care tailored to each individual's needs over a period of time that allows them time to develop the capacity, confidence and resilience to move on.

“The reasons young people find themselves homeless can be complex, it may be due to loss or illness of a family member, adverse childhood experiences, relationship breakdown or other circumstances which are outside of a child or young person’s control.

“MACS aims to give these young people security whilst empowering them to find a place to call home and build brighter futures. Every young person deserves a safe place to live and the unwavering support and guidance as they navigate early adulthood.”

To register or donate visit www.macsni.org.

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