Every day we see people taking steps forward, only to find new barriers waiting for them. At Barnabus, our work often begins at these critical moments but sometimes it comes at a time when those we support are at real risk of falling through the gaps.

Earlier this week, we met a gentleman who had been living in home office accommodation while waiting on his asylum decision. After being granted leave to remain, he was given just 45 days to leave and find somewhere new to live. Whilst he is delighted to get his status confirmed. He now has just over a month to secure an income, somewhere to live navigating many new systems in a country he is new to, with nothing but the most basic possessions.

During this uncertainty, he had been in and out of rough sleeping in a park in Manchester while waiting to see if his accommodation could be extended.

On Monday, we carried out an assessment and immediately began reaching out to our partner landlords to see if there was any rooms available within their privately owned houses. We supported him to a viewing at one of the shared houses owned by our partner landlords and while he really liked the property, he didn’t have anything in common with the other residents, which could have made settling in difficult. Rather than letting that become a barrier, we worked quickly with the letting agent to find an alternative. A landlord agreed to fast-track a room for him in a different shared house, one where another resident speaks his native language. This will make a huge difference, not just practically, but emotionally too, giving him someone who can help him navigate life in the UK and feel less isolated as he settles in.

In the same week, we also supported another gentleman into our supported housing. 

He came to us and explained that he has quite an upsetting past but he was ready to talk about it with us and try and get help.

Our guest explained that he had a problem with substance abuse. Due to his drinking, he started to feel like he couldn’t be the father or husband he wanted to be, which took a huge toll on him and his mental health began to decline. He made the extremely difficult decision to walk away from his marriage and his children due to his struggles with alcohol and ended up becoming homeless and living in a cemetery. 

After discussing his situation and explaining how we could help him, we did another assessment and we were able to offer him a viewing for a room at one of our supported houses.

When we showed him the room, he was really happy with it and signed everything the very next day. 

Now, with a safe place to stay, he has the opportunity to begin rebuilding. He has shared his desire to understand the reasons behind his drinking and he wants to understand what his triggers are so he can begin working through them. We will continue to support him through this with therapy sessions and regular one to ones. We want to help the people we see stay on the right path to recovery and so we will do anything we can to guide them. 

Both of these individuals now have a safe place to stay, a fresh start, a support system and the tools they need to continue making positive changes to better their lives.

These are just two stories from one week, but they reflect something bigger. It’s not just about getting somebody a place to stay, it’s about staying on that journey with them. Helping them work through issues and past/present addictions that they struggle with. It’s about being a trustworthy support system which often, they don’t have.

At Barnabus, we don’t just help people find a roof over their heads. We support people through complex transitions and create opportunities for stability, dignity, understanding and long-term change.

Because moving on isn’t always simple, but with the right support, it is possible.

Support People Out of Homelessness