Woman homeless in Newport at 15 works with Prince William

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, now 41, was made homeless on the streets of Newport as a teenager after she had been brought up in a single-parent household in poverty.

After her mother suffered with her mental health, Sabrina was left sleeping rough on city streets for several years.

Speaking during the Prince of Wales' visit to Newport yesterday, she told the Argus: “One thing I always say is that when someone goes to war with their demons, it is the people around them who get hit like a truck, and that was really true in my case.

“I had a really rough few years just sleeping on the streets, but eventually I started selling the Big Issue, and found a way to turn my life around.”

Sabrina, who now lives in London and is chief fire officer at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, is an example of the aims for the Homewards programme spearheaded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

She is also a proud advocate of the campaign.

After taking on a role as a seller of the Big Issue, Sabrina says she used this as a way of getting out of the situation she was in.

She said: “The Big Issue was a really big lifeline for me, in that it offered me an opportunity to earn money.

“A lot of people don’t know this but when you’re selling the Big Issue, you’re buying a stock at a set cost price and then you sell it on for a profit.

“This gave me a real sense of self-esteem and a chance to earn an income and that for me was the leverage I needed to escape that situation that I was in.”

Sabrina hopes that the Homewards programme will avoid anyone having to have a similar experience to hers (Image: NQ)

Sabrina also spoke about the way being homeless left her feeling dehumanised on a daily basis due to the stigma associated with it, one of the key issues that Prince William and the Homewards project hopes to address.

She said: “I felt dehumanised on a daily basis, and being homeless really left me with no real sense of self-worth.

“The Big Issue and all it did for me were a real lifeline, and I just hope that this programme can help people that are in a similar situation to mine then.”

Sabrina has credited the Big Issue as being her way back onto her feet, as she was able to save up enough money to put a deposit down on a small flat in Risca and get off the streets.

When asked what she hopes to achieve through the Homewards programme, Sabrina had a very simple answer.

“I just want to help people avoid ever having to have that same experience I did, and that is one of the amazing things that this programme is doing," she said.

“It’s really focussed on getting to the core of the problem and eradicating homelessness. It is really important that its not just about the issue itself, but about how can we stop it ever becoming an issue in the first place?

“We are aiming to treat the cause, not just the symptoms.”

Sabrina now works closely with Prince William as part of this programme, and even privately met women at a support service with before the visit to The Nelson Trust on Wednesday, praising his human focus when talking with people.

She said: “I think he was quite moved. He is very good at putting people at ease.”