"I think I found out about Homestore through a leaflet from the council."
"I was hospitalised for a while. I have a rare condition call Behçet Syndrome. I couldn’t walk. Then I became homeless.
It was a horrible experience. I was in a hostel for a year. Through help from Shelter I was then offered a council property.
Homestore staff are just brilliant. The volunteers, Irmina – just brilliant.
When I was in my new home I bought a few items of furniture.
I sanded them down and made them look fantastic.
If Homestore wasn’t around I would have probably had to look around for ages to find stuff I could afford."
This Way Up
"I also did the mindfulness course. Because I have chronic pain my doctor recommended mindfulness.
It took me a while to get used to it. It was hard at first.
You get more aware of your body and if you have pain it means you are more aware of your pain which is hard at first.
Once I got used to it, it reduced my pain and I had less panic attacks. The pain is there but mindfulness makes it more calm.
I would definitely recommend the course for people with anxiety or a life long illness like I have. It is a very useful thing."
Next steps
Erdal is now back at Homestore working one day a week as a volunteer using his own experience to offer a compassionate and practical service.