Bex's Journey, A Rainbow of Hope

“I was left some money by my mum, so was able to move to a campsite and live in a tent. The sense of community that I received by holidaymakers at the campsite was incredible. Some people who were aware of my situation would give me small gifts, like boxes of chocolates, books and magazines, which I found really uplifting during this difficult time. I would try and track them down to repay the favour before they left, sometimes leaving bottles of wine outside their tents as a thank you! 

“I knew that the money I had been left by my mum couldn’t last forever. When it ran out, I moved to a paddock on the edge of Sidmouth. This was only meant to be temporary, but I ended up living there for over 6 months and during the winter. It was quite exposed to the elements and sometimes when I returned to my tent it was frozen shut. Gateway, a homelessness outreach charity in Sidmouth, approached me in the paddock and helped me secure a home at BCHA’s Gabriel House in Exeter.  

“The Shephard brothers heard about my situation and changed my life. The brothers had heard about my story and raised money through busking with their band which they used to adopt another dog for me, who I called Rainbow. To be so selfless at such a young age is amazing. As part of the tenancy agreement at Gabriel House, you typically aren’t allowed to replace a pet if you lose one, but the team at BCHA worked with me to allow me to have Rainbow, which I am really grateful for.

“Being at Gabriel House, having the support from the team and also from Mike, BCHA’s Co-Production Lead, gave me the confidence to complete a “Supporting Others” 5-week course, hosted by Ignite. This gave me the skills to learn how to approach people, speak to people and really boosted my confidence. It helped me realise that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and something to work toward.

“I started attending the Customer Engagement meetings with Mike regularly. The meetings were an opportunity to meet other residents and give my feedback directly to BCHA."

“Dartmouth is a perfect environment for me. It is much more rural and there is lots of space for Rainbow to run and play. We’ve been up to Dartmoor camping and as she’s a border collie, she has a lot of energy, so she loves doing this!

“Looking to the future I would love to be able to volunteer for Gateway or do some work with horses. My foster sister is an Olympic-medal horse rider, so I feel a real alignment when I’m close to them. Living more independently can be a challenge and a bit scary at times, but I am learning every day and setting myself small goals to try and achieve. 

“I used to feel very hopeless, thinking ‘what’s the point’ or that I’d missed my chance in life. Now I am living independently and with Rainbow by my side, I am confident I can handle life’s challenges and am excited to see what the future holds."