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Housing With Care and Support
Person Centred Services
How Support Has Made A Difference
It is important to us at Housing With Care and Support to know exactly what our service users think of the services we provide. The Person Centred Service groups play their own part in getting this feedback from as many service users as possible. They achieve this by constantly establishing new and effective ways to consult service users and gain their opinions.
Through the opportunities made available to them, such as the InSight magazine, InSight Online and the Service User Survey for example, our service users have the opportunity to tell others how the support they have received has made a difference to their lives.
This section of the website is dedicated to the many success stories and true accounts of overcoming hardship with the help of the support we provide, as told by the service users themselves:
Video - Bad Lads Army
This video was made when young people from NCHA’s Supported Housing projects in Nottingham, Grantham, Loughborough and Retford took part in some training provided by motivational expert Richard Nauyokas, best known for his portrayal of the fair but firm disciplinarian Corporal Nauyokas in ITV’s Bad Lads Army.
The training is designed to improve and develop self discipline, teamwork and self respect as well as trust, honesty and respect for others. “Not all Bad” was developed to give young adults an insight into their own abilities and the confidence to achieve the best for themselves and others in their futures.
“There’s a lot of criticism and little guidance for young adults today” Richard said. “It must be even harder if you are homeless and have lost touch with your family. My programme is designed to give those that want a chance an opportunity to prove to themselves and others that they are “Not all Bad”.
North Road and Me:
Mark’s Story
North Road is situated in a nice quite part of West Bridgford, Nottingham.
I am very happy to be at the NCHA project which runs at North Road. It helps people like myself with learning difficulties to become more independent. The first time you move into North Road each and every service user has a support plan to suit their individual needs.
The project has local amenities which are easily accessible:- the library, Asda and also the National Water Sports Centre and Colwick Park. Local events are easily accessible on the notice board and by the up to date calendar. There are also posters that are printed out and put on the notice board about future events.
All staff are very supportive and help with shopping, budgeting and health and safety. My goal for the future is to be able to become more independent with my finances, also to get a flat of my own and to get a job that I’d like to do.
I would like to thank the staff at North Road for all their support that I’ve been given.
Mark wrote this song for his former support worker before she moved to a new project:
Laura’s Song:
Oh Laura am sorry to hear you’re leaving North Road
The support time you gave me was so good in every way.
Thank you for giving me a good time and supporting me all the way.
I’ve enjoyed my support time with you.
Your inspiration has showed me the way.
I wish you all the best in your move on oh yea.
I wish you all the best for the future and beyond.
Hope you have a good time in floating support.
You did a great job here and you’ll do a good job over there.
It’s time to say my goodbyes and wish you all the best.
I’ll remember all the times I’ve had on my support.
I was happy when you were here am sorry to see you go.
Floating Support Saved My Life
Names have been removed or changed to protect the identity of the service user involved
I’ve got an issue with alcohol. I am an alcoholic. I was a gradual process. I had big issues with my mother for a long time, and I just found it an escape. I became a habit and instead of two or three nights a week it became every night. Every night after having a few pints at the pub I’d always make sure I had a bottle. I was a happy drunk, but I was easily upset. Not violent, but volatile and self-destructive. If there was any violence I would take it out on myself and hit inanimate objects.
It’s in the last couple of years that everthing got really out of control.
I think there is nothing now that would shock me. I’ve seen it all. I did get some relief from the Macmillan nurses who were brillian and would come two nights a week so I could get a decent night sleep. Whilst she was ill I had to cut right down on the alcohol because i needed to be able to look after her. She had brought me up since I was a baby and I looked on her as my Mum. When she died it was a killer, which fuelled my alcohol problems even more.
My alcohol problem did not help my family life. When my daughter was born I was still drinking. I could probably down six or seven pints and three-quarters of a bottle of vodka a night. I probably cut that down to half a bottle of vodka a night, just so that I could be there to feed and change her. The drinking got worse when I split up from my partner. When i left she told me I couldn’t see my daughter again. Because of my partner’s back problems, from when my daughter was born up until about nine months I did most of the bathing, feeding, washing and ironing, the cooking and cleaning. To have that just taken away from you is soul destroying.
I went to my Dad’s after we split up and I was there for quite a whilke. then I went through a really bad phase and wound up being taken to hospital after attempting suicide. I was in detox for about fourteen days and being treated for depression. The psychologist told me that I had an issue with alcohol and that alcohol is a fuel for depression. That’s when I decided that was it. I’ve got to fight for my daughter now, she is my motivation.
"D’s help has just turned things around and I feel a hell of a lot more confident now.
I am getting back to how I used to be."
"Those guys at Floating Support saved my life and I have said thank you loads of times...but thanks is not enough!"
When I came out of hospital the Council managed to get me a B&B, so I stopped there for about twelve weeks until they came up with a flat for me. They acted really quickly, and because I told them that I would hopefully be having my daughter at weekends they got me a two bedroom place.
After being in hospital, I was on probation for alleged assualt after a family argument. I can’t remember it happening but pleaded guilty and got 140 hours community service. I buried myself in the work, and we mainly did up place like Scout Huts and worked with kids. I’d do anything for kids, I thouroughly enjoyed it. I had two boses and they couldn’t praise me enough for my work. When you are on probation you get offered any help that’s going and it’s recommended that you take it. I decided to see a psychiatrist and see an alcohol advisor. That’s when i met my first support worker who was with me for a month before she left and D. took over.
I had a major relapse about a year ago. Due to a misunderstanding the Council had taken moves against me for fraud and stopped my benefits. I thought I was losing my home and I had got nowhere to go. Instead of dealing with it properly I cracked up. I can’t remember anything about it. I was really bad and had been off my medication for a few months and had a bit stacked up. I thought that’s it, I’ve had enough.
I have been sober for about twelve months, I still enjoy the odd drink but a couple of pints are my limit, I can’t drink anymore than that. And spirits, I couldn’t touch them anymore! I don’t even like the smell of the stuff now, so that shows you how far I’ve come. I’ve made myself hate the stuff! I will never fully be over my drinking, it takes a lot of will-power, but it’s being able to control it.
The best medication for alcoholism is to walk into town on a Friday night and watch all the people coming out of the pubs at closing time and think to myself "I used to be like that!" The best thing for depression is lifestyle - I have a supportive father and friends.
Floating Support has heped me by listening to my problems, with money management, and helped me out with the Council. I had a lot of problems with self confidence, especially after the messy break up. I couldn’t go up town on a market day. If I needed to go into a shop I would wait outside until people had come out before I would go in...But D.’s help has just turned things around and I feel a hell of a lot more confident now. I am getting back to how I used to be.
Floating Support & Me
Jeanette’s Story
My name is Jeanette and I like to write a short passage about how support has helped me over the past seven months or so. My support worker is now not just a support worker to me, but is someone I can trust. She has helped me to come out of my shell when I was at my lowest. She has always been just a phone call away, being there for reassurance or just having someone to talk to.
Floating Support has also helped me with my financial problems, my bills and my debt which I now have fully under control thanks to them. Recently they have helped me move home, which can be a really stressful thin in people’s lives, but because I had lots of support, it is less stressful thank I had expected. They were a pillar of strength and I’d just like to say thank you because I wouldn’t be when I am now without them! Thank you. Jeanette.
Click on the links below to read two halves of a wonderful success story from Mr Ian Walker, an NCHA service user.
