Laura* grew up in a community of travellers. She was regularly beaten by her father and, aged eight, was locked up for three months to punish her for running away.Given away aged just 14, she used alcohol to help her cope with an unhappy marriage.

Her husband was in and out of prison and she herself was imprisoned for seven years. Upon leaving prison Laura spent three years sleeping on the streets of London, resorting to drugs and self-harm to cope with the separation from her children. At this time Laura didn't care whether she lived or died.

On arrival at the Marylebone Project Laura was linked with drug and alcohol services and supported to get medical help, attend appointments and even learned to read and write.She was taught a different way to live. Eventually, Laura could be resettled into her own flat with furniture and items to make her new flat a home.

**Last year we re-settled 76 women into independent living**

**40,515 beds offered to homeless women last year**

*name changed