Homelessness Matters
Welcome to Homelessness Matters, a podcast by Emmaus.
We take a fresh approach to understanding homelessness. In every episode, you’ll listen to someone who has actually experienced homelessness, sharing their real stories. In Season Two, we go beyond individual experiences and also ask important questions.
Is homelessness just about a few people’s own situations? We think there’s more to it. By talking to experts, we explore how larger factors in our society can lead to homelessness. Each episode will explore a different topic, featuring a guest who has faced homelessness and been supported by one of 30 Emmaus charities across the UK.
New episodes will be released every two weeks until December 2023. If you enjoy the podcast, please help to spread the word by leaving a review.
- Visit emmaus.org.uk to find out more about Emmaus
- Visit emmaus.org.uk/podcast to find out more about each episode
Homelessness Matters
Season 1 | Ep 5 | Beckie's story
*2022 World Homeless Day special* In the season finale of Homelessness Matters, you’ll hear from Beckie at Emmaus Lancashire. Before joining Emmaus, Beckie was sofa surfing after experiencing domestic violence and losing her two children to social services. Now with the support of Emmaus, Beckie is starting an Access to University course to become an adult social worker.
Then you’ll hear from Karen, who is now Head of Support at Emmaus Lancashire. Karen was homeless on and off for 15 years; her abusive partner forced her to steal and become addicted to heroin. When Karen’s partner died, she got herself clean but battled with an alcohol addiction. After spending eight months in prison, Karen found Emmaus and has since got her life back on track. She now works for Emmaus, helping other people who have experienced homelessness to turn their lives around.
[Trigger warning: Domestic violence, abuse, physical violence, drug addiction, alcohol addiction]