A journey to self respect...

When we first met Steph six years ago she was homeless. Not stereo-typically homeless, but she was someone who had nowhere when she had to move out from her friend's flat, nowhere but the streets. The best we were able to do was to get her into our women's hostel at Hope Town.

Her first own flat went a bit sour and she had to move out of that flat because of local intimidation by kids looking to fund their drug dependence on what little Steph had. Since then eighteen months ago she has been in temporary accommodation. Not anymore.

Today I helped her move to her brand new flat, just built. Today as we drove to her new flat with her belongings in the back of the mini-bus, her gold fish slopping its water with every bump and corner - I realised that she had come along way in the time we have known her. There was something else - in the first time since I have known her she was able to hold her head high, there was a new found confidence, a new found pride.

We finished carrying in the black bags that comprise her life and with a smile she grabbed my hand and said "when are you bringing the family around?"

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