A Wolverhampton cafe which offers training and employment for those experiencing homelessness has welcomed the first former service-user turned employee to its team.

Adelaide is from the Champagne region of France and moved to UK in the early 2000s, firstly to London and then to Wolverhampton.

With an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care, she worked as a care assistant for Sandwell Hospital and lived with her daughter and husband in the city.

Whilst she visited relatives in Africa, Adelaide caught Malaria and was hospitalised, twice. She remained there for eight months and, as she was out of the country for so long, when she returned, she'd lost her job and her home and also went through a divorce.

Her social worker referred her to the Good Shepherd’s family pantry service to receive food and goods for her and her daughter. She used the service for two years whilst she rebuilt her life.

Adelaide then began volunteering at the Good Shepherd’s dining service before gaining employment there as a cleaner for three days a week. In October last year Adelaide became the first person, who was previously a service-user, to gain employment at Pomegranate Café.

Adelaide said: “The people at the Good Shepherd were so good to me, I wanted to give something back.

“I love working at Pomegranate because they treat everyone the same. We have our usual customers I like talking to, we have good food at a good price.”

Adelaide is happy and now has a positive outlook on life. She has a place at Scholars Schools System to study for a BSc in Health and Social Care in September. She is also very proud that her daughter, now 21, who is studying Psychology and Criminology at Birkbeck University in London.

Chief Executive of Good Shepherd, Tom Hayden said: “It’s great to see the difference that Pomegranate has had on Adelaide’s life and that she’s doing so well.

“Pomegranate café provides training and employment pathways which we are looking to provide even more of over the next year.  

As well as providing training and employment opportunities to support people like Adelaide, every penny of profit from Pomegranate Cafe is donated back to the Good Shepherd’s free to access services.

For more information about the Pomegranate Café, you can visit gsmwolverhampton.org.uk/pomegranate.