Rainbows over Caerphilly

Caerphilly Floating Support

1.

“I support a gentleman who lives alone. He has poor mobility and speech difficulties as a result of several strokes. Despite the disabilities he strives to maintain his independence.

“I persuaded him to have his landline reconnected so I can get in touch in the lockdown and continue supporting him. I could now make regular wellbeing calls and check up on him.He is now confident to ring Community Response whenever he needs his shopping done or needs his gas and electricity topped up.”

2.

“I have been working with young ladies in the supported living project making the most of the warm weather clearing the garden to make it nice to enjoy in the sun. I’ve been showing the ladies some fun activities to support their young children’s development like sensory water play and making salt dough handprints.”

3.

“I’ve been busy making sure that the young ladies in our project continue to receive support, learn how to manage their tenancy and have fun! Some of the activities they have been doing include:

• • Benefits Bingo – testing their knowledge of all different types of benefits
  • Cheapest Online Shopping Competition – encouraging budgeting skills
  • Tenancy Alien – the ladies were challenged to write a step-by-step guide on how to set up a tenancy for an alien from another world

Ffynon Team

1.

“I delivered a food parcel to a vulnerable client the other day. When I arrived at her property, there was a note on her door that she was in hospital having her daily chemotherapy and requested the parcel be delivered to her neighbour.

“The client’s neighbour answered the door; she was in a wheelchair. She asked if she would be eligible for any support as she hasn’t left her property for six weeks and is relying on neighbours to do her food shop and collect medication from the pharmacy.

“I gave her details for the Buddy Scheme and contact details for Supporting People, in case she requires any support in the future with her tenancy. The lady was very grateful for the advice and is thankful there is support out there for her.”

2.

“A client who has been sofa surfing for several months could no longer stay at his friend’s property. He was distraught and frightened when he rung me.

“I had to act quickly! I engaged with both client and homeless prevention officer to secure suitable accommodation. I had to think outside the box and use my initiative to complete the paperwork via phone. This method put minimal risk of catching the virus.

“A couple of days later, the gentleman rung me thankful for the support. He felt his mental health has improved since moving out of his friend’s property. Although he felt anxious about moving into emergency accommodation, he said the support he has received made the process very pleasant.”

3.

“A client has been unable to secure temporary accommodation in the middle of lockdown. He has left his previous property due to a relationship breakdown. He was extremely nervous of becoming street homeless, but his funds were quickly running out and he could no longer support his stay at a local B&B. He has also recently lost his job due to a number of factors, lockdown being one of them. He had no steady income and his funds would allow him to stay at in B&B for 2 more nights.

“I applied for assistance via Vicars Relief Fund on client’s behalf, that enabled him to secure a grant for four more weeks at the B&B. I then supported him in communicating with Pobl’s Bond Scheme who are looking for a tenancy for him. He is confident about his accommodation enough to start applying for jobs in hospital catering and retail in hope that will enable him to maintain future tenancy. He is now looking forward to the future!”

4.

“After a relationship breakdown and leaving his home with nothing more than a bag of clothes, moving from home to home, sometimes sleeping at three different properties a week, this individual became street homeless. This gentleman’s children are huge part of his life, but with no permanent address, he has no place for them to visit.

“I met with the individual for the first time it became apparent that the situation is causing him mental health concerns. I made every effort to speed up the client’s homeless application due to his vulnerability. In the meantime, I supported him with addressing his cannabis and alcohol use by making referrals to GDAS and Social Services.

“When the country went into lockdown, the gentleman was still sofa surfing. I couldn’t give up now on finding temporary accommodation for him, despite being told time and time again that he is not a priority. His application was being declined each time even though he believed that he was putting himself and other at risk of catching the virus. I liaised with Shelter Cymru and was sent new Government Guidelines on homelessness.

“That same day, the client received a phone call offering him temporary accommodation.

“I put a lot of effort into educating the client on the lockdown restrictions, social distancing and how to keep himself safe in his new accommodation. During the weeks he’s been there, he has signed the housing benefits forms (using PPE provided by Pobl), made PIP application, accessed Food Parcels and DAF grant for food, amongst his other achievements.

“Moving forward, I am supporting the client with his search for a full tenancy. He will also attend courses to help him look after his children when they stay in his care.”