This cause is close to my heart.

When I was 14 I had my worst experience of homelessness. The 18 hours or so I spent in a shed until I got into a hostel late that night were the longest of my life. I felt shame, anxiety and sadness over the situation. I remember starting Year 9 with no address and no home, that knot of shame growing so large that I simply told my teachers that I’d moved house and couldn’t remember my new address.

The flood of relief when we were housed was almost indescribable.

Then at 21 my flat flooded and I had to move suddenly, but I had nowhere to go. I slept in friends spare rooms, on the sofas of people I’d just met at my new church, in my sibling’s living rooms. Until I found a flatmate and we got the keys for our place and kitted out the flat with furniture from free cycle. The relief I felt was second to none.

A decade later, my husband and I bought our first home. We slept on a mattress on the floor the first night as our bed had yet to arrive. It was the best nights sleep I’ve ever had.

The relief of finally owning a home and feeling secure was beyond joyous.

Homelessness and housing insecurity is complex.

It could happen to any of us. It happened to me on several occasions in my early years. The team at HOPE understand this deeply and have been able to transform the lives of those they support for decades.

The joy and peace that comes from secure housing is hard to explain. I’ve felt that. As a long time HOPE volunteer, I know what it means to the 200 people a year that HOPE is able to house.

I can imagine what it means to Alejandro who has gone from was sleeping rough and struggling to find stability after losing his job and home, to being supported by Two Step. Through Two Step Alejandro now has a safe place to live. Having an address has allowed him to secure a new job, reestablish contact with his son and find hope for the future.

People like Alejandro need Two Step. And thousands of people in the UK are in his situation. Together, we can help change that, one step at a time.

Every step on this walk is a step toward a home for someone in need.

Please sponsor my family as we take steps to support people like Alejandro, as part of a group of 200 people walking 10k steps from the Hope head office in Angel to St Mark's Church in to take 2 Million Steps for 2 Step.

Every pound we raise brings us closer to ending homelessness.

Please donate or even join us on the walk (or both!)