This May we are celebrating 3 years of working with Aspire Oxford! We have already helped 68 clients referred from Aspire move out of homelessness permanently. 

Natalie was one of our first clients from Aspire, and this is her story...

“3 years ago whilst recovering from addiction to crack and heroin, I approached Aspire. I needed routine, I needed to be safe.

I volunteered with Aspire for six months and during that time, someone from Taylor Wimpey came to visit and decided to interview me. I had always wanted to get my forklift certificate and work on a building site. They decided to help me fund my certificate and four days later, they offered to hire me and I signed a contract!

However, although I had secured a safe place to sleep, I had no bed and no sofa. Greater Change gave me the money I needed to buy these simple items. I was desperate, I don’t know what I would have done without it. I needed a bed to sleep on.

Before approaching Aspire, I couldn’t manage my own life. Now, I’m regimented, I have a routine. Without Aspire and Greater Change, I wouldn’t be here. Life could have been very different for me. They helped me, they chatted with me. There’s no discrimination, there’s no judgement.”

Natalie is now in a place she can call home and loves her job as a Telehandler at Taylor Wimpey where she runs her building site!

The partnership between Aspire Oxford and Greater Change is so important in helping people like Natalie. Thank you to all our donors for making it so successful.

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