Day 11 Diary - Life in a Homeless Shelter

Wednesday, 22nd April 2009


Oh what a great night's sleep, still don't real any better for it though!
Today is another poignant day in our life's, we have a small service so we can scatter my father-in-law's ashes.
So up at 7.30am and out by 9.30am. Need to pick up Steve's granddad and his partner first for the service and then off to my mother-in-laws. Steve's granddad is 95 years old and very healthy considering his age. He is mobile, although using a wheelchair if going long distances.
The service is at 11am at the Enfield Crematorium and we are joined by Steve's two sisters and one of our brother-in-laws. The service isn't long, a short reading made with a poem and the Lord's prayer before the ashes are scattered on the lawn never the plague.
The weather is glorious when make the event even more poignant. Pete loved being outside, o the place Coral has chosen is very fitting as it is surrounded by trees, flowers, a pond and a small flowing river, I think he would have approved!
Steve's brother Lee did not come down from Derby, cannot afford the petrol, which Steve is not happy about, but has now learned to accept that this how his brother is.
Peter will be sorely missed, he was great man and adored all his grandchildren.
The morning flew by and we all headed back to Coral's for some lunch before going home.
Steve spent the rest of the afternoon playing football with some of the other man at the Shelter and I sat and spoke with the mother of the four children who is able to bid this week. There is a place coming up but they have decided not to bid as it is very isolated and with only one vehicle it will be impossible to get the children to School, weekly shopping etc, so they will have to wait and see what else there is or wait for the next round in 2 weeks, they are very disappointed.
When you are in the Shelter and you put into Band 1, if you bid on a property and you are successful, you don't get the opportunity to refuse if it is not what you want or to go an view the property properly you are just given one chance and if you refuse it you have a month to leave the Shelter.
This makes it very difficult especially when you have to take in to consideration so many variables when you have children. But all this is irrelevant, you should be grateful you are being offered a home and that is the end of it (well that’s what the Council seem to think anyway).

Steve went and picked up the children from my parents at 7.30pm and they are asleep when they are brought in, so straight to bed for them.

We are going to settle down now and to catch up with Bones and perhaps watch Criminal Minds, we watch Desperate Housewifes last night, I cannot believe that Edi Britt is dead, but she went in spectacular fashion, as she lived her life.

See ya tomorrow