Alan's story

Sustain: From suicidal thoughts to a positive future

LESS than a year earlier, Alan* was thinking of taking his own life.

Out of work due to physical ill health, he was also suffering with mental health issues, living in a privately rented two-bedroom house that he could no longer afford or manage to navigate and getting increasingly behind with rent and bills.

With no money available for essentials, including food and energy, Alan was very upset, depressed and floundering to escape the situation he was in.

He referred himself to Sustain with the initial aim of focusing on his debts and a desire to move to a more affordable home better suited to his physical health needs. Alan was paired with a support worker and together they drew up an income / expenditure breakdown and budget plan so he could see exactly what money was coming in, when it was going out and what the payments were for.

Next steps included:

• Registering Alan on the Homesearch website with support in bidding and applying for priority banding
• Contacting Alan’s GP, who he hadn’t seen in months, and supporting with initial appointments
• Making a new PIP application
• Securing food vouchers from the household support fund to help in the short term.

Within four months Alan was offered and accepted a ground floor two-bedroom flat in Castleford. His support worker supported his move, arranging removal services including welfare funding to cover the cost, and sorting out the officialdom around it including setting up utilities, council tax, housing benefit, job centre, GP and bank.

Fast forward a few more months and Alan is in a much better place. His PIP application was successful, enabling him to use his mobility money to buy a car giving him greater independence. He is paying all his bills by direct debit and is in credit for the first time in years. His home is fully carpeted and decorated throughout and living in a flat has significantly improved his physical and mental wellbeing.

Alan has also engaged with Wakefield Council’s Get Active health scheme that his support worker arranged for him, has lost half a stone in weight and is feeling much healthier. He has come off his medication in favour of just using talking therapies and has renewed contact with family and is building positive relationships.

Able now to move on without Sustain’s assistance, less than 11 months since first receiving it, Alan said he was grateful for their support at a very difficult time in his life.

“The service has been amazing for me, and I am financially, physically and mentally in a far better place that I was a year ago. I had thoughts of suicide a year ago but now due to the support I received and my situation improving drastically I haven’t felt this strong in myself in years. I can’t thank Sustain enough. Brilliant service,” he commented.

* Client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.