Claire prepares for a home of her own for the first time in a decade

Claire* is working towards moving into her own home for the first time in ten years after a decade of sleeping rough and substance abuse.

The 35-year-old had become known to homelessness services in Chester because of her chaotic lifestyle.

She had never managed to stay in temporary or supported accommodation to access the support she needed due to her daily substance abuse. She also frequently came to the attention of police, serving regular short sentences in jail.

It was clear her mental health had been affected by using drugs.

However, after engaging with forfutures Claire is now accessing around the clock support at a supported accommodation service in Chester.

She is sharing a flat and, with support from the forfutures team, is finally working towards moving into a home of her own – something she has not had for 10 years.

Stephanie Grime, Accommodation Services Manager at forfutures, worked with Claire to support her to take the next step to getting her life back on track.

She said: “Claire will be moving to a dispersed property, where we will visit her weekly to provide her with support to maintain her tenancy and eventually move into her own long-term home.

“She will need to manage herself and engage with services to reduce and stop the substance misuse. She needs surgery that cannot be carried out until she has done this, which is providing her with the motivation she needs.

“We are working with partners to ensure her support is intense for the first few weeks. We then aim to advocate for her to be able to gain her own tenancy and have her own home for the first time in a long time, which will be a fantastic achievement.”

Claire said: “I am so thankful for the support and opportunity forfutures has given me, I have not had my own front door for 10 years. This is a big step for me and I am proud of what I’ve achieved.”

*Name has been changed to protect identity