Mrs A had been known to us for a while. With a history of hoarding behaviour linked to multiple bereavements, we had worked with her previously. Her social landlord has been supremely supportive throughout her tenancy, and had been instrumental in enabling our services to be brought in.
When Mrs A made the difficult decision to move from her rented home of 15 years to a sheltered property, she called us. She had no idea how she could afford to pay for the work required. With a number of health issues that deeply affected her mobility and stamina she needed help to pack up her home and prepare to move.
We knew that although she had some life-limiting conditions, she was not under the care of any support team or social worker. This is a barrier to funding for many people. She was, however, an Ipswich Borough resident moving to another property within the Ipswich locality.
We allocated a day’s funding for our team to prepare for the move. We packed up all her belongings and that was all we were expected to do.
BUT we actually did a whole lot more…
- We contacted the Housing Benefit team on Mrs A’s behalf, and obtained a Discretionary
- Housing payment for her removal costs.
- Decluttered and helped her make decisions about limiting the volume of belongings she would take to her new, smaller, sheltered property so that she did not start off living in a cluttered home.
- Did her removal and spent time with her setting up her home.
Mrs A has improved her living conditions by moving to a single level property fitted with the
adaptations she has required for years. Her important stuff, kitchen and personal items, have been unpacked and put away, and her furniture laid out to create as much space as possible.
Because we understand people’s priorities, we even set up her television before we left. We believe that careful packing and planning allows for a more successful move, enabling a far more sustainable tenancy.
This is one example of how we can support people in need. Those not under the care of any
statutory services and, therefore, without access to support or funding opportunities to access
services that would, otherwise, be prohibitive due to the costs. It is unbelievable the things we can achieve when we are allowed to be flexible in how we use grants. Thank you IBC.
