Exclusive:
Lainey Port has bravely waived her right to anonymity to tell of the horror she faced being homeless as a teenager, including living in a friend’s car, and finding places in the park to sleep
Still a child at just 16, Lainey Port was homeless facing a myriad of dangers on the street.
To survive she kept moving… and stayed out of sight. A friend’s car became a makeshift refuge for months before the teenager found a block of flats. But worse was to follow there – tragically, she was raped.
In all, Lainey was homeless for two-and-half years. Night buses and the park became places to sleep – if nowhere could be found she simply walked the streets awake. Now 22, she has been helped back on her feet with support by the Single Homeless Project. She stays in one of the charity’s specialist women’s hostels.
Bravely waiving her right to anonymity, Lainey vividly recalls those dark times. “I went into the block of flats. There was a room that nobody was staying in so I just thought, maybe this is safe for me, I can go in there… These three men, they kind of came in after me and they locked the door.
“For a month consecutively I was locked in the room and they raped me every night. It got to the point, they left the door open and I just ran until I didn’t even know where I was.” She was just 17.
But Lainey explained: “The people that raped me were grown up me, older than my dad sort of thing.” She later went to the police but said no arrests were made. “They said I left it too long and there was nothing they could do,” Lainey explained.
Her path to becoming homeless is marked by the loss of a mother and strife in the family home. “My mum died when I was younger,” she said, adding: “Me and my auntie [who had parental guardianship], we didn’t really get on. She didn’t really like me and I didn’t like her that much either.”
She explained: “I left school and I just decided that me being at that house wasn’t the best for my mental health, just me in general. I just, kind of, left. I just walked out of the house and I said I was never coming back.” Lainey, who lived in Essex at the time, was only 16. But, she explained: “I don’t think I really understood the full situation of what I was doing to myself. In my mind it was, let’s go out and have fun sort of thing. Do you know what I mean?”
Video Unavailable
The future for Lainey looks bright now; she works at Pret A Manger and aspires to be a barista. And, not long ago, she met Royalty. Prince William, who campaigns on homelessness, took time to hear her story. “I still can’t believe that I actually met him,” she said.
Her hopes for the future speak of a longing for normality. She wants a little place, with a garden for her cat Patchie to enjoy. And she would like to one day get married. “Because I’ve had quite a hard life growing up,” she explained, “in my head sometimes it’s almost like I’ve already lived my life and I’m just doing the second round.”
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. If you would like to support SHP’s work, you can purchase items from the charity’s online shop: http://www.shp.org.uk/helpwomen
