Katie's story

Corinna is over 30, making her one of the older residents at Mulberry House.  She has a history of abuse, drug addiction and health issues, but since she came to Mulberry House a year and a half ago, she’s made great strides to overcome her problems. Although sometimes she still loses her confidence, she’s achieved so much and is very proud of her progress. She’s stopped using street drugs and is now stabilised on a prescription.

 She said: ‘When I look back at the way I was when I arrived at Mulberry House, I realise just how far I’ve come. I was critical at first. I found it hard because most of the residents are so much younger than me, but the Chapter 1 staff are really good. They treat everyone as an individual. They understood my needs were different from the teenagers.

 ‘I can be honest with the people here.  I can tell them what I’ve done. If something’s gone wrong, I don’t need to hide behind lies and deceit.  That’s really helped my problems come out. Only when I started to talk honestly did I start to see the major blocks that were stopping me. Once the problems came out, I could begin to address them. Other places aren’t like that. I know I’m not quite ready to move on from here yet, but I’m getting there. I still need the support, but before long  I’ll be ready to move into a place on my own.

 ‘I’m looking forward to going to the House of Commons but a bit scared about standing up and speaking. Still, I’m going to do my best. I want people to understand what a difference Mulberry House can make to people like me.‘