From trauma and addiction to 'giving back'

After fighting trauma, addiction and surviving months of sleeping rough on the streets of Nottingham, a woman is now hoping to inspire others who are struggling.

Lisa Barlow, 47, a former rough sleeper turned volunteer, said she wanted to give back after homelessness charity Framework "helped me change my life".

Her story is part of an exhibition that aims to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness.

"From trauma to hope to independence" features paintings, installations, spoken word performance, real-life testimonies and a soundscape of noises heard by rough sleepers and opened on Saturday at Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire.

Framework supports people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Nottinghamshire and is a provider of social housing.

The event in Southwell also marks 25 years since the charity was formed.

Lisa, who has been housed and supported by Framework, said: "After years of addiction and eight and a half months of sleeping rough in Nottingham, moving into Framework's supported accommodation service was a turning point for me.

"Framework helped me change my life.

"I got to a point in my life where I want to be able to give something back to people out there who are suffering the same as what I did.

"Me getting through what I went through, I know that I can help somebody else get through and get their life back."

Lisa continues to receive support and has now been a volunteer with the charity for more than a year.

Her recorded testimony and poems feature in the 25th anniversary collection.

"It's like I'm getting to know myself as a child again because when I first went into trauma, I was very young," she told the BBC.

"And I've come out of it now and I'm getting on with my years now and I'm getting my life back.

"At the same time, I want to be an inspiration to Framework. I want to make them proud. They are proud of me.

"I'm so glad I got my life and I can live my life. I wouldn't have it any other way. Framework are my rock.

"They're giving me opportunities I never thought would be possible in my life."

Claire McGonigle, chief executive for the charity, said Framework had "affected the lives of thousands of people" over the last 25 years.

"We wish we hadn't been needed for so long, but we are," she added. "The art exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the people who used our services.

"So it's been absolutely inundated with effort from people who have been through our services, it's got lots of local artist supporting it, we've had volunteers supporting the initiation of it."

The exhibition is open to the public at Southwell Minster until 20 October, before touring around the region to Lincoln Cathedral, between 27 October and 5 November, St Mary's Church in Nottingham, between 17 and 22 November, and a final stop at the charity music festival Beat The Streets on 31 January.

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