Our Forever Home
Being a family of seven living in emergency accommodation was hard and cramped. My boys found it difficult because there was three of them in the same room and they have big age gaps between them. My partner and I shared a room with our two daughters. It was becoming a strain on our relationships and on us as a family because we had nowhere to go when we needed some space, there was no outdoor area and no visitors allowed, at times it felt like prison. However, we were at the time extremely grateful to have it. My oldest child was embarrassed about where he lived as we all were, but he took it the worst.
When we got the call about being put forward for by the Limerick Council for the NOVAS house we could not believe our luck. After three years in a two-bedroom apartment things began to get better when we met Sarah and went out to view the house. It was everything we could have wished for and more.
When Sarah graciously gave us the keys to the house all my five children started to cry. My seven-year-old said ‘wishes really do come true mam’. As a parent this was the best thing that could have happened. When I see them playing in our backyard it fills me with joy. Something that would not have happened without Sarah or NOVAS.
Now we are in our forever home in time for Christmas and each child and adult feel as if all our Christmases have come at once. We have never been so happy. We would like to thank Sarah from NOVAS Housing and Naomi from the NOVAS family support service from the bottom of our hearts for giving us our home, your time and resources and for giving us a chance and for helping our wishes come true.
My sons would also like to thank you because now they can have friends over (after Covid of course) and have some pride in their home. And lastly, thank you because I can finally have my parents over to our home for a cup of tea which means the world to us all, something we haven’t had for 3 years. You will never know how much this house (our forever home) means to us, how it has changed everything and how much stress has been lifted from us.
From myself, my partner and my children- Thank you.
