Starts at home day
On the 2nd of September, we celebrate ‘Starts at Home day’ and the value of care and support services and the difference that having a safe and secure place to call home can make to people’s lives.
Joe's Story
At 11.30 am on the 25th of July, a member of the GCH Independent Living team received a referral for a gentleman who had just moved into Charter Court with no white goods, no furniture and just a black bin bag full of clothes.
This gentleman was Joe, a 62-year-old man who had a complicated past and had been homeless for some time before being assigned a spot at Charter Court, a GCH Independent Living Scheme based in Gloucester.
The specialist housing manager who made Joe’s referral had already loaned him a pull-out bed from the guest flat on site so he would have something to sleep on, but after a few hours of being at his new permanent home, Joe was visited by one of our Independent Living Coaches who started to work with him straight away.
With help from the Living Coach, Joe had received multiple deliveries by the end of the first day. This included a range of furniture, white goods (through YMCA funding), cutlery, crockery, a bed, and bedding (funded through Glasspool) and some small appliances. His coach also arranged for a food bank voucher, so Joe was able to put some food in his cupboards.
An update on Joe:
It has been a few weeks and Joe is settling into his new accommodation and is hopeful about the future. Further to this, with support from the GCH Tenancy Sustainment Team, he has successfully been granted over £7000 worth of backdated personal independent payments!
“Stories like this really showcase the work the independent living team do. I was extremely proud of how the whole case was handled, and how the efforts of the independent living coach and tenant sustainment officer, really made a difference in the tenant’s life.” – Becky, Independent Living Team Lead
“Thank you for everything, you are all angels and have completely changed my life” – Joe
GCH has 8 independent living schemes based in Gloucester, which provide accommodation for people over 55, who wish to stay independent in their homes.
Each scheme has access to our team of Specialist Housing Managers and Independent Living Coaches who can assist with tenancy-related matters and help residents to stay independent and safe in their homes. The properties are a mixture of one and two-bed properties, and many have onsite communal facilities for the community to use.
Please note, the names in this article have been changed.
For more information about our Independent Living Schemes, please visit: www.gch.co.uk/housing-for-over-55s/