“Every time I went home, I felt so depressed, because of the condition of our flat. I even attempted suicide because I wasn’t able to afford electricity bills.”

Mrs Tse’s life is hard, by anyone’s standards. She’s a single mother with five children ranging from 8 to 18. She lives in a public housing estate and survives with welfare support. She’d love to find a job, but her mental illness makes life unpredictable, and her social worker has recommended that she rest from formal work at the moment.

A problem with the estate’s plumbing led to a leaking water pipe that flooded the Tse’s cramped apartment and ruined their furniture. “She’s desperately needing to replace the rotten furniture,” said Mrs Tse’s social worker, “but there is no way she can afford to fix it by herself.”

When Mrs Tse visited Crossroads, we were only too glad to be able to help her browse and select furniture to meet her family’s needs. They took away cabinets, a bunk bed and sofa, and, more importantly, the feeling that somebody truly cares.