A pregnant woman who was homeless on Swansea’s streets has now found a roof over her head and begun to transform her life.
Natalie Cox, 26, sparked a wave of compassion in the city when she revealed her plight to WalesOnline.
She explained how she was performing sex acts on men just to get her head down on a pillow for the night and avoid the cold, hard and dangerous streets of the city. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
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But she has now been found temporary accommodation, with a view to a more permanent home in the future. And she revealed that her baby was healthy despite her time on the streets, when she was also drinking heavily.
Natalie said: “It’s not nice trying to find somewhere to stay in the night. Moving into a bed space is a bit daunting. I am getting there slowly, I am feeling much happier - the first few weeks was daunting but I am settled in now."
She said her temporary accommodation would last for seven months until they found her a permanent place.
“I try to stay away from Swansea now, as I am half an hour away in Clase.”
“It’s all going good and I am slowly getting there. There’s a couple of workers involved now. I had the 20-week scan last week, I am having a baby boy. He seems healthy.”
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She said she was going for regular blood tests to keep tabs on the baby’s health.
When she was first interviewed while living on the streets, she described the horrifying moment of a man trying to throw her off the SA1 bridge last year at 2am.
She explained how she moved to Swansea when she was just 14, and was estranged from her family.
Originally from Gorseinon, she said life on the streets had always been tough, but 2020, with the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, was harder than she had ever known.
“It’s f****** horrible, I’ve had to sofa surf. I’ve had to perform sex acts on men to get my head down on a pillow. I was desperate to get anything,” she said at the time.
“It’s hard. I know I’m pregnant but I’m drinking more. The winter is going to be horrible. I am worried about the cold and keeping myself warm.”
After her plight was first reported on, a number of people were moved to send in offers of help. Natalie said she was grateful to everyone who had.
“I want to thank the people who offered to help,” she said. “I was not expecting that.”
As for what happens next in her life and her future generally, she added: “I can’t think that far ahead. I have got an open-mind and will just see how it goes.”
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