When Dave arrived at our hostel in November 2015 he was underweight, had a drink and amphetamine addiction and was facing the prospect of jail for non payment of fines. Without a benefit claim he had no way to support himself. plus, as Hampshire’s most frequent visitor to accident and emergency (with over 100 admissions in just one month), he was in pretty poor health – both physically and mentally.

Our team quickly realised Dave needed a lot of support to get back on his feet again.  We helped him apply for job seekers allowance, got him registered with the homeless health care team and encouraged him to start eating more to reach a healthier weight. We also suspected he may have mild learning difficulties and so, working closely with health professionals and his general practitioner, we organised support including speech and language therapy and help to reduce his drink and drug use.

With lots of support and encouragement Dave has improved his health and battled his addiction.

He has gained weight and is now registered with a doctor and a dentist.  He has reduced his drug and alcohol use significantly and has only had one admission to hospital.

The speech and language assessment showed that Dave did not understand what was said to him in court and so we’re confident he will avoid a jail term.  The assessment also recommended a care co-ordinator who will support him in the long term when he is ready to move out of our accommodation and into a home of his own, where he can live independently.

Dave is now starting to smile again and is looking forward to the future with confidence.

 

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