We are proud to launch Our Stories, an online publication celebrating the voices of our colleagues, volunteers and the people Horton Housing supports. To download your free copy, use either of the links below. We would like to thank everybody who has helped contribute their stories towards this publication.
Elyas and his family arrived in the UK in January 2022. They were relocated to a bridging hotel in Bradford as part of the Government’s response to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Elyas had worked in the British Embassy in Kabul as a teacher of English. This meant that he and his family were not …
“I see a bright future for the young people here. Sometimes, people can’t see their own potential and I want to encourage that, I really do,” explains YPASS volunteer David, briefly interrupted by laughter and music in the activities room next door. “That will be Just Dance on the Wii, but I’m not sure on …
Lucas shares his experience of settling in Horton’s Craven Homeless Hub in Skipton and getting the chance to be himself. Greetings! I’m Lucas, a 24-year-old with a passion for creating unique fictional worlds and immersing myself in storytelling. Whether it’s through world-building, crafting narratives, or even playing Minecraft, I find joy in transporting myself and …
Joanne is one of our managers. Her own experiences have helped her to empathise with the people she works with and understand the challenges they face. This is her story. “I had a good childhood, a good upbringing. I did really well at school and went onto college. There was a lot of heroin around …
Gareth (not his real name) and his pregnant partner were living in a high rise flat in Bradford before they received support from Horton Housing. Gareth has spondylosis (a curved back) which causes him pain and asthma which made climbing the stairs to his twelfth floor flat difficult. He and his partner both experience mental …
I had been drinking for 20 years (I’m 42 now) and went into detox in November 2022 when I came to HIPS (Horton Intervention and Prevention Service). I have now been clean for around four months. I have lived a rough life. I fled from domestic violence and have been in and out of hospital. …
Ed (not his real name) had been rough sleeping in Halifax town centre for three nights when he first came to our Street Reach service. He was very disheartened, quiet, untrusting and distressed, only saying a few words. Staff made him feel comfortable, offered him something warm to eat and drink, and gave him a …
“Talking is massive,” explains Tom, a volunteer at Horton Housing’s Young Persons’ Prevention and Support Service (YPASS). “With mental health issues, if you isolate them and they are stuck inside your own head, it will start to eat away at you. Connecting with people is a massive thing, as is having a select group of …
Survival is all Khalil* has ever known. Bitter conflict has ravaged his homeland for as long as he can remember. Sweltering summers made way for bitterly cold winters and food and water supply were not always a guarantee. Danger lurked around every corner. “Five years ago in Afghanistan, it was very unsafe because in every …
