Ruth lives a safer and more secure life thanks to holistic support, determination and resilience.

 Please note we have changed Ruth’s name to protect her confidentiality.

Ruth is 33 and has faced a number of significant challenges. Dealing with homelessness, drug dependence, benefit sanctions and child removal has meant contact with a number of council and other support services over the years, including drug services and children’s social care. She has children in the care system. She knows her circumstances are not sustainable, especially as she gets older, but has struggled to make lasting change. Ruth was referred to the Bond Board by a service which was supporting her then partner. Ruth was pregnant and street homeless with this partner. Unfortunately, her belongings were still in a hostel she had previously used, and she did not have access to them. She understood that her drug use was detrimental to her but was only sporadically accessing drug services. She was also working with children’s social care. After her referral to us, Ruth gave birth and her baby was placed in temporary foster care. This caused Ruth significant emotional distress. She does not want to continue living this hand to mouth existence with the daily stress, fear and disruption she experiences.

Intervention

We are an enabling organisation, helping provide the building blocks for people to live their own lives, secure and in control. Changing Futures is a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government initiative set up the help people with multiple disadvantages. We involved Ruth in the Changing Futures programme to provide a holistic, trauma-informed and tailored support system that could meet her needs on an individual level. This could be support as simple as a bus pass so Ruth could more easily get to appointments or something more substantial like a mobile phone. Almost all support services are now online, and Ruth had little chance of supporting herself without one. We needed to deal with the most immediate need first and Ruth moved into an A Bed Every Night (ABEN) property. ABEN is a Manchester-wide programme set up in 2018. She had separated from her partner before moving but decided to leave the property to be with him again. We also identified a storage facility for Ruth’s belongings and moved them from the hostel to keep them secure. Unfortunately, not long after she returned to her partner, she was assaulted by him. We urgently worked with Domestic Abuse services to move Ruth into another ABEN property. We encouraged her to speak to her GP and engage with drug services. We also worked with children’s services, supporting her during visits and appointments and attending care review meetings involving other professionals. This multi-agency approach is vital in ensuring people have the support to address all their basic needs.

Our goal is to empower Ruth to make positive choices. We advised her on making an application for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP -DWP) and made significant changes to her Universal Credit claim by reporting Limited Capability for Work (LCW). A critical factor in Ruth’s independence was opening her own bank account. Many people find this an intimidating process, but it is so important to managing finances, controlling expenditure and receiving benefits. After living in the supported accommodation for 6 weeks, Ruth decided to vacate it and temporarily left the area. She verbally relinquished the license agreement which meant that she was considered ‘intentionally homeless’ by the Local Authority when she returned. This was potentially disastrous for her, as it means they no longer had any legal obligation to house her. She had continued to engage with us throughout this process and when winter began, she was offered a cold weather bed at a local hostel. We had been scouring housing options to find Ruth safer accommodation, and she accepted a tenancy agreement to move into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). She also discovered she was pregnant again. To help her integrate into her new environment, we supported her with food poverty issues and appointments with antenatal services, GP surgery, the Courts and solicitors.

Outcome

As a result of our comprehensive support Ruth is looking forward to her future. She has managed to remain settled and sustain her current tenancy for over 9 months. We have worked with multiple other agencies to find solutions and remained resourceful when there have been setbacks.

She was awarded PIP, accessed mental health support, engaged with drug services and has applied for photo ID which has enabled her to make an application for rehousing with the Local Authority.

She now wishes to move on and feels ready to take the next step in her future and live on her own. We have recently completed a referral to the Rough Sleepers Accommodation Programme (RSAP), designed to deliver supported move-on accommodation for the long-term homeless, and she is currently waiting for a refurbished property to be completed so she can move into her own independent tenancy.

We have helped to maximise her income, addressed her most pressing issues and set up a strong foundation for the future. When Ruth moves into her own tenancy, she has developed the tools and support network which give her a better chance of sustaining this tenancy and increasing her life opportunities.

This road is rarely smooth, and this is not to pretend that Ruth’s life is now perfect. We can’t see into the future, but Ruth’s circumstances have been transformed. She continues to  make positive steps towards a safer and more secure future.

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