HELP 4 HOMELESS VETERANS CHARITY APPOINTS A NEW AMBASSADOR –
AMBER GUYMER-HOSKIN FORMER ARMY MEDIC
We are delighted to announce that Amber has very kindly offered to become an Ambassador for our charity from today 14th July 2020.
Amber has not only walked the walk but now talks the talk about Homelessness. She speaks from experience and since she turned to us in 2017 she has been our unofficial ambassador telling her story of how she coped with her homelessness whilst caring for her son Brandon to various media outlets to spread the message.
She has spoken to Andy Kershaw at BBC Radio Sheffield; The Huffington Post for The Sun and gave permission for us to tell her journey with us on our latest Charity Flyers. She also supported us on our stands at Armed Forces Day whilst living in South Yorkshire. Amber is about to be filmed for a documentary about Veterans and PTSD and how homelessness affected her.
Hers is a compelling tale of how she has turned her life around and I am sharing a few of her own words below:
I was on my last legs at the time and just felt exhausted and that I had nowhere else to turn. It was a simple google search which led me to Help 4 Homeless Veterans and it was a huge relief when they said they’d be able to help me.
They quickly managed to organise a one-bedroom bungalow for the both of us. We felt safe with a roof over our heads and it helped to have some order in our lives. Help 4 Homeless Veterans is based in Yorkshire and they had access to social housing, which they sublet to veterans at cost. They offer assistance to veterans all over the country and acted really quickly. It was a huge relief for me. I finally felt safe and stable for the first time in a long time. It was far away from home, which is Suffolk, but I wasn’t bothered as I had a home.
Finally, I felt able to get my life back on track. It took me a year to properly adjust to things when I had the house and to know what I really wanted. At the time I couldn’t work as I had childcare commitments, so I had a lot of time to try a figure things out in my head.
At times I did struggle and kept on thinking that we’d be out on the streets again. It took me a year to get over this and having the house definitely helped me with my transition. Like most veterans, I’m not sure if I will very properly transition but this was a huge stepping stone to becoming a ‘civilian’.
I moved into my own house in Suffolk last year and have just launched a business running boot camps while I complete my fitness diploma returning the bungalow to the charity.
Amber’s story is a genuine success for her and Brandon and also for our charity. This is why we exist, to assist vulnerable veterans when they are at their lowest point, giving them a hand-up, not a hand-out. Those that take advantage of a second chance, will, just like our new Ambassador rebuild their lives.
Welcome Aboard Madam Ambassador!
