Home as security

…. His face was deeply marked and he looked suffering. He had always worked in the tourism sector and, after a life of sacrifice, he had started his own business. He tried to make a leap counting on his long professional experience and some hard-earned savings. However, things did not go well, the beginning of a commercial activity was tiring and Covid-19 totally collapsed the business. He was left without work and with several debts on his shoulders.

As soon as the lockdown ended Mario immediately started looking for a job but market conditions had worsened so in a short time he ended up living on the street. Thanks to the Community of Sant’Egidio and the Housing First Rome project, Mario now lives in an apartment, he’s no longer suffering from the hardships of the road; he found back his serenity and looks to the future with renewed confidence. He is a nice man, with good-natured ways. He is extraordinarily grateful for the help he has received and he is trying to recover from every point of view.

Home gave energy and enthusiasm

Antonio went through many difficulties in his life. He had a job, but he lost it due to an accident. He went through a period of deep depression and fell into the trap of gambling addiction. He lost everything and became homeless. He ended up living in a large train station where he suffered a condition of great deprivation, then was hosted in a dormitory.

After so many difficulties, Housing First was a real landing place for Antonio. “This apartment helped me to go back to being a whole man, with my autonomy, my freedom, my happiness. Not like before, when I was half a man … ”, he told his friend Filippo. He experienced the new accommodation as an extraordinary opportunity and he actively takes care of his home, looking after it with great passion. He shares it with a companion, each has a room of their own. He decided to devote a lot of time to others, to those who have not yet overcome the difficulties of the road.

Several days a week, together with friends of the Community of Sant’Egidio, he dedicates himself to supporting the homeless.