Before, I hid in my house feeling like I had no life and no one. With Sophia’s support, everything started to change.

Before Sophia helped me I really struggled. I’ve battled being a hoarder for a long time and I’ve been with Transform Housing & Support for 23 years. Most of my life I hated myself and a lot of that came from being confused about my gender identity. From a young age I would secretly wear my mother’s clothes but I didn’t understand why. I’ve also struggled with anxiety and depression which contributed to problems like hoarding. I stopped taking care of myself. I didn’t eat properly, didn’t brush my teeth or wash and had suicidal thoughts for much of my life. I think a large part of why I stopped taking care of myself was because I was so uncomfortable with my body and confused about my identity.

Because I never left the house I struggled with being around people, didn’t have any friends and felt very lonely. I isolated myself and that isolation only made things worse.

Transform has always been brilliant but it’s really since Sophia became my key worker that things started to change positively for me. Before I would hide in my house, anxious to leave, feeling like I had no life, no friends and no one. Sophia has helped me build a new life. I’m more confident now. I go out on my own, do my shopping, catch the bus and attend autism support groups which is massive for me.

There were lots of reasons why I didn’t leave the house before. My teeth were in bad condition which made me self-conscious. Sophia helped me get my autism diagnosis which really helped me understand myself better and why I think and feel the way I do. I’m now on medicine that helps with my anxiety and depression which makes a huge difference to how I function day to day. With the right support I’ve realised anything is possible and I never thought I’d be able to share how far I’ve come.

When I first became Sophia’s client she had to show me the basics, how to go shopping and how to use Tesco. Now we have weekly check-ins and I have a list of basic tasks I need to do to take care of myself. Sophia even helped me clear my apartment when my hoarding had gotten so bad that I could barely move. I now cook, eat properly and understand the importance of looking after myself. My life is fuller and I’m genuinely happier.

School was hard for me and when I left I became severely depressed. My mum was very worried about me. When I first met Sophia I could barely look at her. I was bent over with anxiety. I’ve come so far since then.

I also have therapy that’s helping me explore my gender identity and the way I like to dress as a woman. I feel so much happier being able to go out and express myself. I’ve realised that most people are too focused on themselves to judge me as harshly as I feared. Sometimes I even have evenings where I embrace my feminine side, doing things that feel true to me and it makes a massive difference to my wellbeing.