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This text tells the moving story of Ronnie Lockwood, a man with autism who became homeless at 15 after being ejected from a care centre. Rob and Dianne Parsons took him in around Christmas time, making him feel welcomed with small gifts brought by family members. They witnessed his emotional response to kindness, as he cried at the Christmas table because he had never before experienced such love.
Ronnie was placed in a care home at eight and later sent to a distant school labeled as a “school for subnormal boys,” where he had little social support, friendship, or understanding. Returning to Cardiff at 15 with no resources and no home, he fell into homelessness.
Rob and Dianne helped Ronnie find stability, securing a job as a waste collector for him and supporting him with clothes and emotional care. Rob, a lawyer, took Ronnie to work, giving him a sense of pride and belonging. Over decades, Ronnie became a beloved member of their family unit, contributing routines and rituals, such as emptying the dishwasher, which reflected his personality and need for consistency.
The story highlights the challenges faced by vulnerable people like Ronnie — such as the Catch-22 of needing an address to get a job and a job to get an address — as well as the transformative power of kindness, love, and community in overcoming hardship
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