A MUM who became homeless is looking forward to her first Christmas with her daughter in three years, after starting to turn her life around thanks to the support of a Worcester hostel.

Kerry Marnell has been homeless for two years and living at St Paul’s Hostel in Tallow Hill for six months.

The 35-year-old has battled with addiction and, after leaving rehab seven months ago, moved into St Paul’s where she has been transformed by staff’s pioneering approach to helping homeless people by addressing the trauma which caused their issues.

Kerry said: “Christmas was horrible for me when I was homeless. I used to make sure I got sent to jail so I didn’t have to face living on the streets.

“However, I am really looking forward to this Christmas as it will be my first Christmas with my daughter in three years.”

She added: “St Paul’s has helped me so much. I have been able to explore my past and the traumas I came across.

“Although I have not got rid of the traumas, I have learnt to deal with them. I have addressed most of my issues in my life, through continual counselling support, mindfulness, going to the gym, volunteer work and a counselling course which was all set up by the staff at St Paul’s.

“I have been reunited with my family and continue to make positive changes every day.

“I have a bright future now thanks to St Paul’s.”

Kerry said that, before moving to St Paul’s, her biggest fear was “dying on the streets”.

She added: “The hardest thing I have had to encounter was the public’s response to me being homeless. Men would try to make sexual comments and even sometimes actions – just presuming I would do sexual favours for money in return to eat.

“Both sexes would turn their noses up at me. I was even kicked in the head while my head was hidden inside a sleeping bag while sleeping.

“I think the public try to ignore homelessness. They would prefer to turn their head and walk away. They look down on the homeless as if they were a disease.

“There were a few people who would stop and ask why we were in this situation in the first place. I would say 1 in 50 people who walked past me would just give a smile the rest would not even give eye contact.”

St Paul’s Hostel helps approximately 70 people at any one time to live through homelessness.

The hostel has no direct funding from the government or local councils so finances are always stretched.

You can support St Paul’s via their Just Giving page at justgiving.com/stpaulshostel

To have a chat about how you can get more involved or help, call St Paul’s trustee Sam Turner on 01905 691030.

Read about hostel's pioneering approach to helping homeless people