How we helped John stay housed

A big part of our work is focused on preventing people from becoming homeless by helping them with the problems they face.

We can help people to maintain their tenancy, manage their physical or mental health – whether it's a common condition or more severe diagnosis.

We will also help them address any practical problems including debts and benefits, poor housing conditions and relationships with landlords.

Sometimes we go out into the community to offer this help, in people's own homes so they can stay independent.

John's housing situation had become unsafe

John, a man in his sixties with learning difficulties, was living alone in unsanitary conditions and falling behind on rent and bills.

He’d been cared for by his mother for most of his life. When she died several years ago, he carried on living in their home without support.

John’s situation, which worsened as time went on, had gone unnoticed until a GP brought him to our attention.

It became clear that he had severe mental illness which hadn’t been identified. This had led to John’s housing situation becoming unsafe – there were broken appliances, carpets were flooded, he was sleeping on a single broken mattress and he had fallen into debt.

Putting the right support in place

The issues John faced hadn’t been picked up by his housing association. We alerted them to the situation and arranged for his home to be deep cleaned, his broken toilet, washing machine and oven to be fixed.

We spoke to the housing association and electricity, gas and water companies on John’s behalf and have arranged manageable repayment plans for his debts.

It was important that John regained his independence, so we taught him basic living skills including how to budget and cook for himself. We also helped him access welfare payments – now, he has more than just a state pension to get by.

After a few months of working with John, we’ve seen a big change in him. He has come a long way and now live as he wants to. We’ve also arranged for the housing association to carry out regular checks that John doesn’t slip through the cracks again and gets any help he needs.

If you are experiencing problems with housing or your mental health, or you support someone who is, you can find more information about our current services here.

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