Real Life Stories

BHT’s Immigration Legal Service has helped hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers with legal support. Many of those we work with are ‘unaccompanied minors’; young people and children who have often endured unimaginable suffering, and ...

Sometimes people who we have supported contact us years after their time with us just to say thank you. It is always wonderful to hear from people who have turned their lives around, and a ...

Our Court Duty Scheme provides free last-minute advice and court representation for people who are facing eviction, when repossession cases are being heard in Brighton, Lewes or Hastings courts. The courts closed for a period ...

Terry had been long-term homeless and a regular visitor to First Base, our resource centre for rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove. Staff at First Base seized the opportunity presented by the extra support available ...

Paul is a 49 year-old man who was street homeless in Brighton for four years, suffering from heroin, crack cocaine and alcohol addiction. He also had multiple physical health difficulties. For a long period of ...

Neil started sleeping rough around two years ago. He was suffering from physical and mental health problems that had been exacerbated by life on the streets. When he first started coming to First Base, Neil ...

Martha was referred to Shore House following an intentional overdose of prescription medication that nearly proved fatal, and which resulted in a hospital admission. As Martha was too physically unwell to travel, the Shore House ...

The Whitehawk Inn is known locally for being a valuable community support resource and adult education centre, but also provides services beyond this, for example offering specialist debt advice. Helen was referred to us by ...

For most of us we get our identity and status from what we do.  BHT’s Intern Programme was set up to prepare people with a history of homelessness, mental ill health or addictions to make ...

Every year our advice services in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings prevent hundreds of families and individuals from becoming homeless. The impact of this is huge: fewer people on the streets, less demands on local council ...

For some it comes as a surprise that BHT runs an immigration and asylum legal service.  The overwhelming majority of those we work with are ‘unaccompanied minors’, young people and children arriving in the UK ...

The Hastings Young People’s Service does what the name suggests, providing accommodation and support for homeless young people in Hastings and St. Leonards.  Frankie came to the service in October 2016.  She had held a ...

Over the last couple of years, BHT’s Addiction Services have noticed an increase in the number of ‘second generation’ addicts.  They were children who grew up with one, or both, parents with a severe alcohol ...

Not all BHT’s mental health services are residential.  The Threshold Women’s Counselling Service provides a lifeline to many women.  This is the account of one of them. "I found out about the service through Survivors’ ...

Recovery from mental ill health and moving into independent accommodation can take several years and requires individuals rebuilding many parts of their lives.  This is the account of one client from the Route One Project, ...

Mental health problems are a common thread amongst many of BHT’s clients and we have a range of specialist mental health services, including the Archway Project in Hove. Simon moved into the Archway Project in ...

Shore House provides accommodation and support for people with multiple and complex needs.  That means they will have a combination of alcohol and drug addictions, mental health problems, and other chaotic or destructive behaviours.  Often ...

Increasingly we are working with people who are in work or who become homeless having lost their job. Our Accommodation for Work Project was set up to help people like Enes.  He worked as a ...

Helping someone off the streets is not as simple as just providing a roof over their head.  Becs was referred to our 52 bed hostel, Phase One, in April 2013 having lost her accommodation. She ...

Around half those sleeping rough in Brighton and Hove have a local connection.  Others come to Brighton for many reasons: the image of the city that has attracted many of us, perhaps a happy childhood ...