"I first met Mr B earlier this year. Since then, with thanks to Futures and other organisations, Mr B has gone from not leaving his flat in years to living in a comfortable home and getting the support he needs.
"It was the police who first made us aware of Mr B, after his neighbours had reported that they hadn’t seen him for a while. At the time, Mr B was living in a first-floor flat which unfortunately nobody knew wasn’t suitable for his needs. When the police got access, they found that Mr B had not been out of the flat for four years, as he’d become so immobile that he couldn’t manage the stairs. He had no family or friends, so nobody knew he was struggling.
"He was admitted to hospital and discharged to a care home while we started looking for alternative accommodation. I made arrangements to go and see him at the care home and I completed the home options form to get him on the housing register. I continued to bid for him and eventually he was offered a ground floor flat just around the corner from his old one.
"Before he was accepted, I’d already submitted a referral to our Tenancy Support team to get the ball rolling for when he needed it. Then in comes my wonderful colleague Lisa to help him too. She went to see Mr B at the care home to discuss what support he would need and she then sourced furniture and carpets for him. Mr B paid for the carpets, but Lisa visited the flat out of normal hours so the carpet fitter could measure up. A couple of days later, I let the carpet fitter into his flat and locked up after him when he was finished.
"Another colleague Simon, who works on our empty properties., kindly stored some of Mr B’s salvageable items from his old flat and delivered them to his new one. He also collected and delivered a sofa, bed and mattress which Lisa had helped him find. I’ve been able to get household items for him too, after a plea to some family and friends. I also work a second job at a restaurant and they kindly gave me some cutlery, glasses, plates, bedding and other things for him too. I then went to the flat to put everything in place, ready for his return. We quite literally made him a home.
"Beep Assist, our independent living service, also installed some telecare equipment and we got a gas service completed before he moved in. The gas engineer generously tried to help salvage a piece of furniture that I was struggling with. Sadly it didn’t make it but another Futures colleague came to then dispose of it.
"Now he’s all moved in, Mr B can start feeling safe and comfortable in a home that’s suitable for him. Going forwards, he now has a social worker and a local group will be doing a weekly shop for him. Lisa and I will also continue to work with him.
"This is a brilliant example of cross team working which has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of."
