Sara* had been sleeping on the streets around Westminster for a number of years.

She had repeatedly experienced abuse in her intimate relationships and used drugs and alcohol to cope with her situation. She was a regular in our centre and worked with our outreach team for a long time.

Sara and her key worker slowly built up a positive working relationship, but started to feel worried that they didn’t know how the work would end – Sara often described her situation as ‘hopeless’. Her key worker felt she would benefit from psychological support to try and find ways different, more positive ways to move on with her life.

Our existing relationship with Sara meant that our in-house psychologist could begin engaging with her in informal, small doses that felt safe to her – for example, when she was waiting for a meal, or washing her clothes. This gradual approach worked well and paved the way for more structured therapeutic work.

Sara’s ultimate goal was to reunite with her family, and eventually we were able to support Sara to attend family therapy sessions via Zoom. Because Sara had a strong relationship with her key worker, she felt secure enough to take this brave leap and confront her difficulties head-on with support behind her.

Recently, Sara has left London to move back in with her parents – a great result. We continue to work with Sara and her family to connect them to other sources of support in her local area. It has been a true privilege to be on this journey with Sara and her family.

*name has been changed.