David
David had a traumatic childhood. He was sexually abused at the age of 9 and grew up surrounded by domestic violence. When he was 13, he started using cannabis as a way of coping. Instead of this helping him deal with his trauma, it simply added to his problems. He left school without any qualifications and suffered with his mental health.
David said: “I often found myself shutting down from people and my emotions, which wasn’t good”.
In 2021 David’s relationship with his partner, who he was living with at the time broke down and he found himself with nowhere to go.
“I felt like my whole world was crumbling and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I was alone and scared. That’s when I found SASH and my life changed.
SASH gave me hope and courage to get through my darkest times. For the first time I am getting the right support for me, and I feel safe and positive for the future. My support worker goes above and beyond for me and my host listens to me on my down days and is helping me to become a stronger person”.
David attends regular one to one counselling sessions to help him deal with his emotions and build a better bond with his family. He no longer uses cannabis and with the help of his SASH support worker and host is learning new skills to prepare him for independent living in the future.
“I would be in a very different place right now if it wasn’t for SASH. I feel like they truly saved my life, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you SASH”.
