Louise’s Story

“When I arrived at Galway Simon I was nervous they would judge me but they never did. Everyone was nice.Every child should wake up in their own home on Christmas Day.“

Every child should wake up in their own home on Christmas Day.

Louise wants something very special for Christmas this year. She wants her two little girls to wake up in their own home, find the presents they’ve been dreaming of under the tree, and eat a Christmas dinner that she’s cooked for the three of them.

Aged just 23, Louise’s marriage broke down and she and her two young children were made homeless.

Like any mother in that situation, Louise’s first priority was to find a safe, secure home for her children.

Louise and her girls found themselves with no option but to live in a hotel room… and then another… and then another. The hotels provided no stability. Just as they settled in one place, it would be time for them to move on again. It was a lonely and exhausting existence.

Then Louise heard about Galway Simon. Her key worker, Ellen, could offer Louise the support she needed to bring safety and stability to her daughters’ lives.‘Only for Ellen at Galway Simon I wouldn’t have got anything. She helped me with everything. She put me on my feet.’Getting an apartment in Galway is hard and disheartening. Having Ellen by her side helped strengthen Louise’s natural determination. At Galway Simon, we can offer practical assistance as well as emotional support to help people like Louise to find a safe and secure home.

Ellen accompanied Louise to flat viewings, and helped her manage the paperwork to get her new home — as well as other paperwork to secure a passport, household bills and her own independent bank account.

Thanks to the generosity of Galway Simon’s supporters, we were able to help Louise to find a secure home for her family.

To her credit, Louise has worked hard to create a happy and stable home for Katie and Siobhan. At the moment, she’s a full time mum to her girls. She’s planning to find a cleaning job, and I know with her grit and ambition she will succeed.‘I don’t need my family to help me — I’m the strongest out of the lot of them and I’m going to give my daughters everything.’Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Louise’s Christmas wish will come true! She and her girls will have a wonderful Christmas together in their own home. She’s even going to cook Christmas dinner for the first time! I’m sure Katie and Siobhan will be full of smiles from the moment they wake up on Christmas morning.

To protect identities Louise and Ellen are not the real names of the people you have read about today. But Louise’s story is very much real.