When Walthamstow single mother Mellissa Brown found herself homeless, she says housing officers treated as a problem rather than as a whole person with complex needs. Now, working for the homeless charity Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter, Mellissa is able to provide others the help she was denied. This is her story.

I was kicked out of my family home, along with my four-year-old daughter, by her dad, my then-partner of ten years, when he decided to end our relationship, leaving me homeless with my daughter. 

I was already in a bad place, experiencing severe levels of anxiety and depression, but this crushed me. In all of this I had to make a quick decision to stay with a friend who lived close to my ex-partner, so my daughter still had access to both him and her nursery. 

At the time I was receiving therapy, and they referred me to the housing hub in Islington. 

I was unfortunately only seen as my housing situation and not as a whole person. I was a single mother, with severe mental health issues and I was so much more than the information on my housing application. 

In a meeting with my early-help worker, my daughter’s nursery manager and her dad, I was told abruptly that I wasn’t eligible for social housing as I had potentially made myself homeless by leaving. I was then asked if my daughter and I could move back in with her dad.

I was in a deep dark hole, asked to return to an unwanted place, and I was hurt and angry when my ex-partner said no. 

I was really livid at this time, as no one took the time to see me as who I was. 

Living with my friend wasn’t working out and I made the decision to move back home with my parents in Walthamstow. My new early-help worker told me that I had to be in the borough for three years at that time to get social housing.

My housing officer for Waltham Forest Council never heard my challenges or the concerns I emailed them, as the room I shared with my daughter was too small and had damp problems, and the family dynamics at that time were very challenging.

I was dismissed, as they saw me as living with family. Again, I had no voice to fight my corner, no voice to air my concerns, so I reverted into myself. 

Throughout the process of seeking help – from housing officers, early-help workers and local authorities – I was often treated as just a housing case, not as a mother, or a woman navigating trauma and mental health challenges. My voice felt silenced. I felt invisible in the very systems meant to help. 

As time passed, I worked hard on myself to get better and feel stronger mentally and physically. And in March 2024, I started working at FCENS, the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter – a place where people are seen and heard.

Through this, I help give a voice to those who walk through our doors. I run meditation sessions and organise monthly social events which help guests connect and feel human again.

Here at FCENS, we’re not just offering shelter – we’re restoring dignity, building trust, and walking alongside people on their journey.

If I had had the same support we offer, I know I would be living in my own accommodation by now, and I would have received support for my mental health a lot sooner.

FCENS is recruiting for a part-time peer coach with lived experience of homelessness, to work alongside the casework support team in Walthamstow. The deadline for applications is Friday 19th December. For job details and an application form visit this website

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