“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.
Louis’ parents were very worried when, at 14 years old, his special school closed its doors and he was left with nowhere that could cater for his special needs. Louis, who has autism and cannot talk, has attended special schools since he was 3 years old. Most of the schools his parents could find would only take young children, rather than teenagers or adults. They worried Louis would never learn the life skills he needed to be independent, or even hope to find a job. Thankfully, they discovered our partner’s school and now at 20 years old, Louis is thriving. 
