“The relief is immense”
Ewen has moved about so much that two months since moving into his new home, he still wakes in the dark of night wondering where he is.
After nine months of homelessness in Nottingham, he’s settling into his new flat getting the support he needs from various agencies and is working towards a Masters in Law.
Spiralling into homelessness
Ewen fled the UK over twenty years ago to escape controlling and coercive behaviour from his family. His experiences left him mentally ill, resulting in a delayed diagnosis of severe depression and long-standing complex PTSD many years later.
After travelling the world teaching English, Ewen spent the Covid-years in Asia, before returning to the UK in 2023.
“I came back to the UK on the promise that a family member would initially support me for a short time,” he explains. “But as soon as I arrived, that support was snatched away. After a few nights in a rented flat, and then a month sleeping in a hire car, my situation collapsed rapidly into street-homelessness, and in winter. I wasn’t able to claim benefits because I’d been out of the country for so long. It’s very scary how quickly you can find yourself on the streets.”
Ewen’s deepening depression and feelings of helplessness culminated in a suicide attempt on New Year’s Eve. The hospital staff were shocked at his physical health and diagnosed a TIA (a minor stroke, caused by his overdose), and a crippling foot condition, typically seen in the long-term street homeless.
Finding a home
Ewen’s time at hospital brought him into contact with homelessness agencies, and eventually a place was found for him at a winter shelter; Ewen describes it as; “Nothing less than a blessing - three meals a day, and I could stay there in the sanctuary and the warm all day long.”
With no local connection to Nottingham, Ewen found it hard to find a home. A solicitor helped his case pro bono, and with his age, mental illnesses and history taken into account, Ewen was finally placed first in emergency and then temporary accommodation at a hostel. “They were a peaceable, funny bunch there. I really enjoyed my time with them,” he recalls.
“Not long after that, NCHA found me a permanent home in a beautiful Victorian building. And the relief? Well, it’s been immense. I’d been dreading another winter on the streets, but now I’m secure, safe and can concentrate on my studies. The terrible depression has lifted and receded remarkably. It’s hard to put into the right words how extremely grateful I am.”
It’s about more than ‘property’
“What many don’t realise is that homelessness is not so much to do with ‘property’. it’s really to do with ‘home’.” Ewen concludes.
And it’s in his new flat that he’s finally creating a permanent home. With the support of various agencies he’s applying for the benefits he’s entitled to, sourcing the furniture he needs and accessing counselling to begin to tackle his past experiences … all while completing his Masters and becoming an editor.
We wish him the very best in his new home.
World Homeless Day
Today, 10 October is World Homeless Day, a time to raise awareness of those in need.
You can find out more about the work we do to alleviate and prevent homelessness on our homelessness webpages, and learn about our commitments to the Homes for Cathy campaign.
