After 37 years of living in Gainsborough, Stuart found himself without a place to stay.
“I was struggling with debt, had lost my job, had fallen behind on rent payments and into the hands of scrupulous individual offering to loan me money, getting me even deeper into trouble.”
“With no place to stay, I moved in with my sister and her boyfriend but after a year it was time to find a place to live and I turned to the Council for support. They referred me and introduced me to staff working at the HATS Community Hub, who showed me around their accommodation. Within a week, I was living in one of the shared houses.”
“I enjoy having my own bedroom where I can relax. In the first year, I spend much time in my bedroom as I am not fully confident in the company of others. Today, with the support from Housing Officers, I have gain confidence around other people, do use more of the shared spaces and have a good relationship with others that live in the house.”
“Since moving in, staff have also helped me with getting on top of my debt by referring me to Step Change and supporting me in all they require me to do, such as support with filling in forms and accessing evidence requested by them. I am hopeful that we are working towards a positive outcome which would allow me to move forward.”
“If it wasn’t for LEAP, I would have been on the streets.”