Homeless since age 15

The story of Sabrina Cohen-Hatton (41 years old) is an inspirational story that has been mentioned in many British news outlets in recent years. At the age of 15, Sabrina began her homeless life on the streets, sleeping on the steps of shops or in buildings that were temporarily closed for renovation.

During her homeless days on the streets, Sabrina had to endure rude treatment, violence, and constant danger, but she also received help from many kind people.

Sabrina's family was very poor, and things became even more dire when her father died of a brain tumor when she was 9 years old. Her mother was mentally ill, so family life became even more chaotic and unstable after her father passed away.

Sabrina used to live in a poor residential area in Newport, Wales, UK. The area where she lived was full of street crime, drug addicts and drug dealers. The lives of the neighbors around her were also very tragic, so when Sabrina and her mother fell into dire straits, no one could help them.

At the age of 15, Sabrina felt that her life was too tragic, there seemed to be no way out, so she decided to run away from home and start a homeless life. She was lucky to meet kind homeless people, they shared food with her, showed her places that often distributed charity food and places where she could sleep relatively safely.

Sabrina does not blame her biological mother because she knows her mother loves her, but she has mental problems and is not capable of raising a child. At the time she left home, Sabrina was also not capable of taking care of her mother.

After leaving home, Sabrina realized that living on the streets was safer than living at home, where many criminals lived right next door. She was determined to continue her studies even though she was homeless. Studying was the only thing that made Sabrina feel that her life had meaning.

At night, she slept on the streets, but in the morning, she put on her uniform to go to school. Sabrina cleaned herself in public toilets. She kept her books in a secret place, trying not to neglect her studies so that she could still get good results in her high school graduation exam.

The dramatic comeback

Sabrina achieved her GCSEs with 1 A+, 6 As and 3 Bs. This is a result that makes Sabrina proud of herself. She is determined not to drop out of school because studying is her only chance for a better future.

For Sabrina, there were two things that helped her survive her years of homelessness. First, it was the Big Issue , a print publication that homeless people sold to help them earn a small income during their difficult lives.

Sabrina took up selling newspapers to cover some of her living expenses. Selling newspapers on the street helped Sabrina develop confidence, discipline, and a love of work.

Besides, the dog Menace was Sabrina's best friend during her days living on the streets. Menace was a stray dog. Since Menace accompanied Sabrina, she felt safer and was less attacked. Gradually, Sabrina regained balance in life.

At the age of 17, Sabrina was used to selling newspapers. She knew where no one was selling the Big Issue , so she accepted to travel long distances to sell more newspapers and have enough money to rent a small, cheap apartment. Thanks to that, Sabrina had her first safe place to return to.

In 2001, at the age of 18, Sabrina signed up for fire and rescue training. Initially, she joined the fire department part-time, but within a few months, Sabrina proved her ability and became a professional firefighter, working full-time.

During her career, Sabrina also pursued a bachelor's degree in psychology. In 2010, she pursued a doctoral degree in psychology.

Now 41, Sabrina is a fire and rescue constable in West Sussex, England. She has a PhD in psychology. Sabrina is also married and has a daughter.

In 2019, after nearly 20 years of keeping her life story a secret, Sabrina decided to share it publicly to give disadvantaged teenagers more motivation, faith and hope to strive in life. She wants to become a living testament to help increase the mental strength of disadvantaged teenagers.

Since sharing her story, Sabrina has been actively working with many charities that help homeless youth. Sabrina knows that homelessness is a very sensitive experience in every person’s life. Many people believe that once they become homeless, their life is over.

However, through her story, Sabrina wants to prove to everyone that homelessness can be overcome with effort in learning and a spirit of hard work.

The journey from homelessness to regaining balance in life is difficult, but not impossible. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton proves it through her life story.