In the words of Fatboy Slim: “We’ve come a long, long way together, through the hard times and the good… I have to praise you like I should”
The team here at Petrus are doing just that as we have recently waved goodbye to a wonderful gentleman who we have supported for around 16 years.
We’re so proud of our longest serving resident who has moved on to pastures new and is settling in well to his new home.
He has been a part of everything at our charity – living in a number of our housing projects, accessing different levels of support across the years and making memories on group holidays with fellow residents and our support teams.
He was even the first service user to step through our Hub doors when we opened, something he was always very proud of!
He has been heavily involved in how Petrus has evolved over the years, sharing his views and insight to develop and shape the services we have previously provided and those we continue to offer today.
Reflecting on their shared journey, our Head of Petrus Sonia Denham said:
“On my first day at Petrus nearly 16 years ago, this gentleman was the first person I met and first individual I provided support for.
“I think it would be true to say that neither of us had great intentions of sticking around at that point. But as we embarked on our Petrus journey, our aspirations and achievements grew and those values that Petrus, and all who come through its doors, lives and the overwhelming sense of community and support, hooked us in.
“We build special bonds in our Petrus community; one that sees trust develop, one which says: ‘Try it, we’ll catch you if you fall’, one that opens a window into people’s darkest of darks and slowly brings the light in.
“We feel real empathy when there’s a stumble, and support people back to their feet and we whoop for joy in celebration of every milestone met. It really is a rollercoaster of personal investment for all involved.
“This man has engaged in different services we provide for many years, we’ve grown together, and it has been an absolute joy and pleasure to know him. We praise him and wish him all the luck the world as he feels ready to embark on a new chapter.”
Coming to say goodbye to our team, he gifted us with a beautiful piece of artwork for us to proudly display at our Hub:
As we look forward to celebrating 50 years of supporting people in 2022, moments like this allow us to reflect on how much of an honour it is to be a part of our service users’ journeys as they rebuild their lives and move away from homelessness.