Paule’s Story: How a Refurbished Phone Reconnected a Mother With Her Children

A phone that once served a business is now keeping Paule in touch with her children and powering her ambitions as a chef, after homelessness left her cut off from both. This is her story.

Sudden homelessness and digital isolation

Paule was living in London when family problems left her homeless without warning. Without stability and sleeping outside, she was struggling mentally, a strain made heavier by having no digital access.

Without a phone, she couldn’t stay in contact with her children. She felt isolated digitally, mentally and physically.

Paule knew what she wanted to do: organise her formal documents and find a job in the cooking industry. But without a device or internet, she couldn’t apply, complete the processes, or be reachable by an employer.

When being offline means being out of reach

Paule’s story shows that digital exclusion isn’t only about missing out on services. It can mean losing touch with the people you love. According to Good Things Foundation’s Digital Nation 2025 data, 7.9 million people in the UK lack basic digital skills, while 1.6 million adults do not have access to a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Without a device, staying connected to family, applying for work and managing everyday life all become harder, and for people already in crisis, the isolation deepens.

A refurbished phone and free data

At her lowest, Paule turned to Tech Together, a Digital Inclusion Hub in Good Things Foundation’s National Digital Inclusion Network, supported by Assisted Homes. They gave her a phone from the National Device Bank and free data from the National Databank, alongside digital skills support.

Paule’s phone was made possible by organisations that choose to repurpose their surplus IT responsibly through Reconome, Good Things Foundation’s exclusive technology partner. Each device is given a second life and redirected to someone who needs it. Paired with free data, a refurbished phone becomes a lifeline back to family, work and support.

With her phone, Paule can stay in touch with her children, manage her finances and search for work.

“I’m a chef. I’m a hard worker and I know I’m good at what I do. Having this phone and data will help me set up some social media channels where I can post everything I’m doing and about the recipes.”

– Paule

Reconnected, and cooking up a future

Paule no longer feels alone. She can talk to her children whenever she wants and work on mending their relationships. She’s also setting up social media channels to share her cooking with more people.

“It’s given me a lot of motivation and I feel good, and now I’m also able to keep in touch with my family,” Paule said. “I’m really grateful to Good Things Foundation for supporting me with this. The problems I had before have disappeared.”

Her confidence has soared. She hopes to strengthen her skills and career so she can provide stability for her children to stay with her.

What began with a refurbished phone and free data has given Paule a way back to her family and a platform for the career she knows she’s good at.

From a retired phone to a family reconnected

Paule’s story shows what sits at the heart of Reconome’s partnership with Good Things Foundation: a phone leaving one organisation’s estate can reconnect a family and restart a career. At the core of the partnership is Reconome’s commitment to deliver 85,000 refurbished devices to digitally excluded people across the UK by June 2029.

When organisations choose Reconome to manage their IT asset disposition, their surplus devices don’t simply avoid landfill. They keep people connected to the family, work and support they rely on. Responsible ITAD means secure data destruction and environmental compliance, and a commitment to ensuring technology keeps serving people long after it leaves your estate.

Your surplus IT can reconnect someone’s world

Every phone and laptop that passes through Reconome has the potential to restore a lost connection, alongside the environmental and compliance outcomes your organisation already expects from ITAD.

Your old tech can bring someone back within reach. Talk to our team: rethink@recono.me.