Daniel* became homeless when his relationship with his family broke down. He was referred to Step by Step and we gave him an emergency bed as a short-term solution. Daniel was shy and initially quiet, but he was focused and knew what he needed to do to get to where he wanted to be.
Supported Lodgings was the perfect fit for his needs, giving him the support he needed combined with the independence of a family living environment.
Daniel’s STEP Worker matched him with an ideal host family and started the process of moving him in. Unfortunately, the host family had to go into self-isolation when a member of the household developed COVID-19 symptoms.
Just as the STEP Worker was finding a new place for Daniel, lockdown happened.
Young people’s interests are at the heart of everything we do, and lockdown wouldn’t prevent us from supporting Daniel. His STEP Worker organised virtual meetings to place Daniel with the perfect host and he moved in with a family soon after.
Daniel engaged well with his hosts and started to come out of his shell. When he was furloughed from both his jobs – an apprenticeship and a retail position – he stayed positive and made the best of the situation. He completed a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) course to help with his mental health and saved up to buy a motorbike. With help from his hosts, he taught himself to cook and learned lots of recipes.
Daniel turned 18 while in lockdown and was not able to celebrate with his friends.
Daniel is now starting to rebuild his relationship with his family and they are making positive progress. He is looking forward to returning to work, saving some money and embarking on a future of living independently.
*Name changed to respect privacy.
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