As we celebrate Starts at Home Day on the 30^th August 2024, we have put together four case studies below which show the importance and the personal positive impact that supported housing can have:

Case Study – Rough Sleepers

SW moved into his new home with North Star on 7th February 2022. The property is part of the Homes England funded Rough Sleeper Programme.

SW lives in a two bedroomed fully furnished home with weekly support.

SW had been living with his family, after a relationship breakdown he left the family home and was living in his car firstly in York and then Scarborough.

SW lived like this for 6 months before returning to Middlesbrough and approaching the Local Authority who referred him into the Supported Housing Service.

SW is grateful for the accommodation, he keeps it clean and tidy and has settled well taking real pride in his surroundings. He manages his finance well and takes his medication as prescribed, he is able to do this due to the stability of a safe secure home with support.

SW is now feeling confident and ready to move in in to permanent accommodation and is now actively seeking this with the assistance of his support worker. The time in the supported housing service has enabled SW to get back on his feet.

Case Study – Hestia

• MM moved in to a supported housing placement via our womens service as she was unable to apply for social housing at the time due to previous behaviours In a failed tenancy.
• MM was initially not engaging with support.
• MM was sanctioned from the DWP which resulted in her income dropping to £170 per month.
• MM had not paid for her water for 12 months and was in arrears with Council Tax. 
• MM had attempted to go to work in a cake factory (to avoid work coach meetings) However, due to a breakdown of her mental health, she resigned, which then accrued £750 in rent arrears.

We arranged a work focused interview with DWP where we clarified that MM had been sexually trafficked into the UK and she had some severe health issues.

Working together we achieved:

•  A- replacement of a male work coach/ MM Work Coach is now female, this has enabled MM to engage more openly.
• B-   Established MM had serious mental health/ physical issues.
• C- We negotiated that MM should have a refund of her UC sanctions.

MM has been engaging with support and we have been able to claim PIP and have applied for Limited Capability to Work.

MM is now working with My Sisters Place for Trauma informed Counselling; she has also completed Level 1 in Math’s and English and has already started Level 2

Together we have agreed an affordable payment plan for MM’s former rent arrears, the arrears are reducing,  we have agreed MM will be offered a long term tenancy in September.

Case Study – Hestia (2)

SL came to Hestia via a Homeless Hostel- SL had fled Domestic Abuse in Birmingham, where she had given birth to a child that was removed immediately. SL was previously a care leaver who has Autism and Hyper- mobility of her joints

SL was in a controlling and violent relationship with a registered sex offender.  SL had been beaten and held against her will in her partner’s home until she could escape.

SL has been supported to attend counselling at My Sisters Place, working with North Star we have been able to house SL in a property that is safe, adaptions such as  grab rails and  extra banisters have been installed, a letterbox guard and a safe room are also included in the property.

SL was supported to attend child contact sessions in Birmingham, every week until her son was adopted- we have also made a memory box with SL.

SL is thriving and enjoying weekly cooking sessions in her home but is also to able to attend onsite sessions at Rainham, another supported accommodation service SL particularly enjoys Arts and Crafts – we have recently made cakes, and  Lasagne she is now able to budget having been reliant on food banks , SL was supported to contact a local choir  and is become  a keen member

Case study – Rainham

‘A’ moved into Rainham in May 2023 after finding herself homeless due to a relationship breakdown with her mum.

Having just turned 18 and never lived alone she was extremely anxious. ‘A’ struggled to adapt to living semi independently, her mental health declined, she began binge drinking, living a nocturnal life, self-harming and took an overdose which resulted in a hospital admission.

‘A’s benefits were sanctioned resulting in debts building up, she was unable to pick up the phone or attend her job center appointments due to extreme social anxieties.

Staff worked to build up a rapport with ‘A’ to help get the correct support in place which included ‘A’ attending IMPACT recovery college to understand her mental health and work on coping skills, referring her into counselling support with My Sisters Place to address trauma in her past ‘A’ had a medication review and agreed for it to be issued weekly, she was also referred to drug and alcohol services for early intervention work.

‘A’s’ one to one support sessions focused on:

building confidence

opening and understanding her post to address any financial matters

how to manage her tenancy

ensuring bills are paid

Support to attend external appointments with health/recovery

It was a difficult to engage ‘A’ but over time with some perseverance and lots of encouragement thigs started to turn around for the better. ‘A’  is in a better head space, she’s sleeping better during the night. ‘A’ joined the gym to help alleviate her poor mental health, she now has a healthier relationship with mum, she’s cut alcohol out of her life, has enrolled at college to start in Sept 2024 and is now ready, feeling able and excited to look at moving on from the service into independent living. ‘A’ without access to accommodation and support services via a supported housing placement things could have been very different for ‘A’.