With a little help from forfutures Sylvia now has a home to call her own

When Sylvia* moved into temporary accommodation she had become dependent on alcohol and was struggling with debt issues. She had been a victim of financial abuse which had led to her losing everything, including the home she owned.

Sylvia slept rough in an abandoned caravan for a year before moving into temporary bed and breakfast accommodation for six months. Sylvia, who is in her 50’s, was then referred to forfutures managed temporary accommodation in Chester by the local authority.

With support from the forfutures team, Sylvia addressed issues with her benefits and council tax arrears that had led to debt and set up a bank account of her own. She is now sober and receiving support from her GP to continue to abstain from using alcohol as a support mechanism.

Forfutures worked in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council to find Sylvia a suitable property with Sanctuary Housing to move into. The team supported Sylvia to arrange her new tenancy and set up payment of her rent and utilities, also supporting her to apply to the council’s Help in Emergencies for Local People (HELP) scheme which gave her a grant so that she could furnish her new house and make it feel like home.

Sylvia feels her confidence and resilience has been rebuilt in the two months she has had the support of Forfutures. Sylvia said: “Once I settled in I felt comfortable and the support I had from everyone was top class. I never knew where to go for help before I went there and without the support from the team I wouldn’t have coped.”

Now, Sylvia has moved into her new home in a sheltered housing scheme in what she describes as a lovely, quiet area. She said: “I’m just so happy to have a home of my own again.”

*Not her real name