A WOMAN who set up a community group to help the homeless has spoken out about her own battle with mental health problems.

Lynne Knight was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after two decades of domestic abuse.

The 42-year-old, of Bevendean, Brighton, has told how her experience led to her setting up Knight Support, a community group which provides support to homeless people around Sussex.

She said: “I spent many years drinking my way through.

“I didn’t realise I had a serious mental health condition, which has now been diagnosed after being missed by many services.”

Lynne and her four daughters were threatened with homelessness when she could not afford the rent, as her mental health had deteriorated so badly she could not work.

Despite her parents offering to pay their rent for a year, Lynne and her family were unable to rent a private property, as no agency would accept them.

Lynne reached breaking point and made two attempts to take her own life.

She said: “I’d just had enough. After a desperate night of drinking I took an overdose and later jumped off the pier.”

Following a six-month period when Lynne was sectioned, the family were housed in Brighton.

She said: “When I was unpacking with my girls we realised we had too many duvets.

“We decided to give them to people on the streets, and from that night the project was born.”

Knight Support now has 14 sites in Brighton, Hove and around Sussex for donations which are distributed at weekly outreach evenings, including one every Sunday by the Peace Statue on Brighton seafront.

Lynne said: “We will have a van in the next couple of weeks for our navigational substance misuse team, to go into the heart of the homeless community to help people who may be too poorly with untreated mental health to engage with services.”

Lynne hopes to raise awareness around mental health through Knight Support, and said most people on the streets are suffering from an undiagnosed condition.

She said: “So many people are not being treated. I was only diagnosed this year.

“It’s heartbreaking that people going through a difficult time are not being given the help they need.”

Knight Support is launching a podcast called “speak from the street” with stories from people who have been homeless.

Lynne said: “It’s about creating more understanding about how people get to where they are.

“I want it to be positive and educational.”