“If it weren’t for St Petrocs, I’d probably be out on the street, or maybe even dead. I think it’s important for people to understand that people who come into these houses aren’t people with drug or alcohol addictions, and people aren’t homeless through choice, it’s for reasons that are out of your control.” 

Catherine, 31, has been staying for almost a year now at the house owned by charity St Petrocs in Liskeard. She and another resident Lucy had just unpacked a box of donated food brought round by Mike, the supported accommodation officer. Lucy was really pleased to see some chicken pieces, and they were looking forward to making a roast dinner together. 

I was welcomed warmly into the home they share with two other fairly new residents and had a cup of tea pressed into my hand as Mike explained that with just four bedrooms, the detached house is one of the smallest of St Petrocs’ properties in Cornwall. It’s important therefore that the people living under the one roof can all get on and that trust can be built. It doesn’t always work out – and sometimes if a person’s behaviour proves to be difficult, or if drugs or alcohol become part of the picture, they will be asked to leave. 

But on the whole there’s been “a good synergy and understanding between the residents” says Catherine. 

Catherine got in touch with St Petrocs after her family were evicted from their home. It had come down to a choice between paying the mortgage or eating, she said. She and her siblings went separate ways: Catherine arrived in Liskeard with just a suitcase and two bags. She had enough money for a few nights in a Premier Inn but “nothing to survive with”. 

“I’d had practically no life experience,” she said. “I was completely in at the deep end. I went into the council offices, they were lovely and did all they could, they gave me some numbers. 

“A family friend had mentioned St Petrocs. I was expecting a dead end in all honesty but they heard my side of the story and said they’d get somebody to me as soon as possible. Adam, the outreach worker, came within two days. He took me to Morrisons to get me enough food to see me through the week.” 

After an initial talk with Adam, Catherine had an interview with Mike and it was not long before she was able to move into the St Petrocs house, which the charity was able to purchase using funds from a legacy donation. 

Lucy says she wishes more people would think of doing this if they can: Mike agrees that the housing situation, while difficult all over the country, is particularly challenging in Cornwall, where a lack of both emergency and long-term affordable accommodation is exacerbated by second homes and landlords selling up. It’s a market where hundreds of applicants might be chasing one private rental. 

St Petrocs, which has 153 beds in total across the county, is just about to open another house in mid-Cornwall and currently has a waiting list, with no spaces at all in any of its homes. The charity works alongside Cornwall Council and other agencies supporting those sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness, to identify the best path for an individual person. 

During the winter months St Petrocs funds placements in hotels, through donations, but the aim is always to get a person into suitable long-term accommodation. 

“We have a very low tolerance on drugs and alcohol in the properties and we have to be really strict,” explains Adam. “Chaotic people have a huge ripple effect on the rest of our clients and on the charity as a whole. It doesn’t mean we won’t support higher-risk clients, we work very closely with other services, it just means we may not place them.” 

A chaotic childhood, where alcoholism, violence and abuse were sadly part of everyday life, is what eventually led 20-year-old Lucy to St Petrocs. She moved into the Liskeard house just a couple of weeks ago: prior to this she’d lived with her partner, with whom she has a baby boy, and has spent periods of time sofa surfing between relatives and friends. Before that she lived in Liskeard’s foyer for homeless 16 to 17 year olds. It’s been unsettled, and the separation from her child has been hard to bear. 

“After I broke up from my partner I began to experience bad mental health problems and I asked my ex to look after our son – I knew I wasn’t safe to look after him,” she explained. 

Lucy video calls her little boy every day and her focus is now to be able to move into her own place, and have him live with her again. 

“I’ve witnessed people die from drugs and alcohol and I don’t want to go down that road,” she said. “I don’t want my little one raised in that environment – I don’t want him to have the same life I had.” 

Lucy describes the St Petrocs house as ‘paradise’, but at the same time she recognises that it can only be temporary. 

“I’ve settled in here and made it home. This is somewhere where I can relax and get my life on track. I’m hoping that me and Catherine can get somewhere to live together.”