This is when having a front door means ‘the world’ to someone

A WARDROBE, TV, a front door, a table – all things most of us take for granted. But what if you’re homeless? Charity The Wallich asked people who have been homeless but were newly in their own home to describe their favourite thing.

And the poignant answers they gave included everything from a window (because “when you shut a window you know you’re not on the street”) to a table (“it’s nice... not to put something on the floor”).

And while one homeless person said a bed was now their most prized possession, another said it was her TV because it allowed her to watch comedy programmes which made her laugh.

“I like watching funny programmes. Happiness, laughter. It’s just nice, comforting,” she said.

“I was homeless from the age of 12 until 21. So I’ve never had my own room before.”

The responses of the people interviewed – who did not give their names – give a valuable glimpse of how having a home transforms an individual’s life. One woman had taken up crafts. She said: “It’s a nice feeling when you have achieved something at the end of the day. It’s there in your personal space, your home.

“It’s somewhere you can call home now. Not just a room, or a street or a shop door.”

A man planned to fill a photo album with his landscape photography.

Then he decided to fill it with family pictures. But first he had to meet his children after his release from prison.

“Putting them in one book was the resolution of a personal journey. It isn’t finished.”

Another said their bed meant the most to them, explaining: “I haven’t had a bed and slept in a bed for a long time. It’s nice to have a bed rather than sleeping on a cold floor or outside when it was raining.”

One woman named a table as her favourite thing.

“It’s nice to put something on a table, not on the floor. That’s what the table represents. Something solid, some security.”

Another said it was having a window that was most precious.

“Looking out of the window, it makes me think how lucky I am to have a roof over my head. When you shut a window you know you’re not on the street.

“I’ll always keep the sleeping bag there. It’s a good reminder to not go back on the streets.”

One woman described having a front door as “meaning the world”.

The responses come as the Echo has teamed up with The Wallich to try to help the rising number of rough sleepers in Cardiff.

The charity is dealing with an average of 40 people per day and we want to do something about it.

We want to raise £75,000 to pay for five new vehicles known as The Street Fleet to help staff get out and talk to rough. But we need your help. Can you make a donation? Or hold a fundraising event? If you want to volunteer or offer help, please contact dosomething@thewallich. net

You can donate via a monthly direct debit or one-off donation by visiting thewallich.com/donate people who are sleeping