‘My house in Upsoch was out of control and I felt ashamed’

Christy knew it was time to ask for help, but she was scared. “I was so embarrassed,” she says.

A mum-of-three’s home in Ipswich spiraled out of control after a traumatic event left her bedridden.

“I had a stillbirth in May 2022 and was supposed to go ahead with my other two children but every day was a struggle and I spent months in bed,” she explains.

Every level of the house was covered in clutter and one of the three bedrooms was off-limits because it was filled with broken furniture, so her six-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter had to share a room.

The dining room was full of baby stuff like cribs and bouncers and prams that Christy couldn’t bear to see.

“Both my husband Stephen and I really struggled with our mental health and we couldn’t live on top of the house,” she says.

“I was using so much energy to help the kids and go back to work, I just had nothing left.”

The NHS worker conceived another child but it was a high-risk pregnancy, which sent her anxiety “through the roof”.

He began receiving treatment at home, but a visiting nurse struggled to find a place to sit.

When their baby son was born, Christy knew it wasn’t the ideal environment for him. After a week in the neonatal unit, she was worried about bringing him home.

She looked into decluttering services but they were too expensive for her and her husband, who works at a supermarket.

“I took some pictures of the house and I was very nervous, I was shaking, but I showed them to the leader of a group of children that I went to, who contacted a health visitor who gave me Dura. Handed over to a charity called Brown.” says the 37-year-old.

The Suffolk charity has a team of 80 volunteers who transform homes free of charge for families in crisis.

Ten volunteers arrived at Christie’s home in June and “got stuck in”. They sorted everything into piles of things to throw away, keep, reuse or give to charity.

They overstocked them and picked up their trash and even their dirty laundry, later bringing it back and throwing it away.

“When you’re really depressed and really overwhelmed, these things feel like huge, insurmountable tasks. I was just trying to get through each day.

“It was such a positive experience and there was absolutely no judgement,” she says.

Its director, Joe Rivett, says Christie was brave to let the charity into her home.

“We go through everything they have and we’re in their private space and it can feel overwhelming for them.

“A big part of our ethos is that no judgment is made. Family day works with us and we try to make it fun.”

Dora Brown was founded in 2020 and helped eight families in its first year of operation. Last year, it helped 31 families, with the same number this year.

Most of Dora’s families have experienced a life-changing event such as bereavement or perhaps domestic violence, she says. Many people live in poverty and have challenges with disabilities or mental and physical health problems.

Referrals come through social services, or schools and GPs, but the charity also allows people to request help for themselves or a friend or family member.

“Sometimes they’re just killed by life,” says Joe. “A typical Dora house is very cluttered, full of stuff and broken things. It’s a house that hasn’t been cleaned in a long time.” Done,” says Joe.

“But we also see houses that are completely bare because people can’t afford furniture. Most houses have black mold. Often we find family members sharing beds.”

The charity tries to make it as easy as possible for its mainly female volunteers to help.

“Some people come every week. Some people come once or twice a year and that’s fine. It’s weird fun and the volunteers are great at putting families at ease. People come back because they make an immediate impact,” she says. can see,” she says.

“We’re like a crisis response. Oftentimes our families need a fresh start to get back on track. Physical work not only creates a clean, tidy, functional place to live, but one’s health and wellness. It also has an impact. It’s important for children to see that there is another way to live, it breaks the cycle.”

The charity, which has a waiting list of families in need of help, hopes to expand across England, but is dependent on funding and is currently “small but mighty” with six part-time staff.

For Christie and her family, the intervention has been life-changing. She now feels confident meeting people. Her kids can have play dates, they’re all sleeping better and enjoying spending time together as a family again.

“My daughter is learning an instrument and now she has her own bedroom she can go and practice in. We spend a lot of time together in the living room. It’s a lot easier to maintain now,” she says. she says.

They recently celebrated their son’s first birthday with a party at home and this is the first Christmas in many years that they have had a place to put up a Christmas tree.

“We’re in a really good place now and I’m so grateful to the charity for taking away the shame and anxiety I’ve had going on.”