Case Study - James

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I have been supporting James* since March 2017, when I first met him at a food provision. He was rough sleeping in Bradford and had just been released from prison. He was begging in the town centre and wanted to stay away from the temptation of relapsing back onto heroin and crack. But he soon relapsed and I was concerned about his health and risk of reoffending.

I built up a relationship with James and we met at Salvation Army and I helped him fill out a referral form to stay at their hostel. Luckily they had a bed space and he was no longer on the streets. I visited him at the day shelter over the next few months and it was clear his drug use was getting worse and his begging more frequent. He became very low and hated what he was doing. He talked about how he had wasted his life and wanted to change.

James then got onto a methadone programme and this helped him to cut down on his drug usage. We began to meet more frequently and he secured a flat in Bingley via Incommunities. By moving out of the town centre he has stopped taking heroin and only using a very small amount of crack. He has started to attend recovery groups, set goals and is motivated to change his life.

He has a goal, to see his son, who he has not seen for around 10 years. He has never met his 3 grandchildren and wants to show them he has changed his life around. He feels he cannot make contact with them until his flat looks nice as he feels embarrassed as it has no carpets, curtains, furniture, cooker, fridge or a bed. He is currently sleeping on a blanket on the floor. I am trying to secure funding to help James make his flat nice so he can start to rebuild his relationships with his family.

I managed to meet a pastor from a church who has helped me get him a sofa bed, fridge, curtains some furniture and hopefully a bed. He has painted his flat and is looking for a volunteering project to keep him busy. This week is a big test for him as he receives his benefits and hopefully will not relapse.

Case study written by Tracey Ellerton - Support Worker.

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