A new beginning for Josie

What if all the things you rely on were taken away?

The cold was the worst – bitter cold she couldn’t escape and could hardly bear. And the shock. The only way Josie can describe the experience is “horrendous”.

Josie was 59, happily helping her husband run a business they had worked hard to build up, when a series of circumstances suddenly left her poverty-stricken.

Josie’s troubles started when she fell desperately ill. Her husband became her carer, but he had troubles of his own, secretly sliding into a gambling addiction.

Please donate now to The Salvation Army and give people like Josie what they need most – hope.

Then he simply disappeared. Only then did Josie learn the true impact of her husband’s addiction. Her had spent all their savings and run up huge credit card debts in both their names.

Almost overnight, Josie lost everything. She was forced to sell nearly every piece of furniture to pay her basic expenses and buy enough food to stay alive. She was now alone and destitute.

Josie’s life became a downward spiral of desperation. The bills kept piling up but she was still too sick to work, or even walk outside. Wracked by grief and despair, particularly through the winter months, she feared she would starve alone in her house.

At her lowest point, Josie says she saw a glimmer of hope. She calls it “the best day of my life”, the day she came into contact with The Salvation Army.

The Salvos went into action, offering Josie emergency assistance, sorting out her debts and giving her access to a pension through The Salvation Army’s Moneycare program.

Josie is now doing better, and she’s even training to be a health counsellor.

The Salvation Army is only able to operate its services because of the transforming generosity of kind-hearted people in the community who care about helping others out of a crisis.

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