As we celebrate 20 years of Alliance Homes, one customer talks to us about the difference a safe and secure home has made to her life over the past two decades.
When Yvonne first moved into her age-restricted sheltered bungalow, she describes the time as one of the most difficult periods of her life. After a divorce and years of uncertainty, including unaffordable private renting and relying on support from family and friends while raising her teenage son, she found herself homeless before being offered a home in Portishead in 2006.
Remembering the moment she was offered a home, Yvonne says: "I'd never even heard of sheltered housing. There were three people ahead of me on the waiting list, so I didn't think I'd get the bungalow. Then, two days later, I got a phone call to say they'd all turned it down and the home was being offered to me. I moved in and, as they say, the rest is history."
Two decades later, Yvonne is grateful for the stability and community she has found. "There is so much care for one another," she says. "We muddle along at times, but we're very resilient and I just love being here.”
Looking back over the years, Yvonne has seen many changes, not just in housing but in society as a whole. Growing up in social housing, she remembers a very different world, where rent collectors called door-to-door and the gas man came to light the streetlights, and technology was something few people could imagine. Today, she sees how modern homes and digital services can make life easier for customers.
Although she describes herself as someone who has resisted technology, Yvonne is now embracing the digital age. She has a computer, a smartphone and a fitness tracker and is keen to keep learning.
Looking ahead, Yvonne would like to see young people from schools and colleges spending time with older people, helping them build digital confidence, while learning from their life experiences.
Yvonne recently took part in our second age-restricted customer forum with other customers, where their feedback is helping shape our services.
Share your story
As part of our 20th anniversary, we're collecting stories from customers about what home means to them and the role Alliance Homes has played in their lives. If you'd like to share your story, we'd love to hear from you. Email communications@alliancehomes.org.uk.