Telford man credits Wrekin with helping him to turn his life around
A man from Telford has spoken about how securing a home with Wrekin’s Specialist Housing Services Team has helped him turn a corner.
Matthew, 38, had spent a good portion of his early life behind bars and addicted to drugs.
After being released from prison in 2017, Matthew has revealed that securing a home with Wrekin’s help was a big catalyst to helping him move on with his life.
Matthew said: “I had been trying to find somewhere to live for a while – but my past had made it very difficult.
“I am not proud of it – but I have spent time in prison. I don’t want to make excuses but I had a tough childhood – I was in an out of care and became addicted to drugs. This led me down the path of crime – burglary and car theft and I have spent a good portion of my life behind bars.
“When I was released in 2017 – I knew I needed to change my life around, not only for me, but my mum as well.
“After being released, I was placed in a hostel in Birmingham. It was a roof over my head but it wasn’t a home – life there was hectic and it wasn’t good for my health. I knew I had to get somewhere closer to home.
“I was getting nowhere – as soon as people knew I’d been in prison it was game over. Even though I was trying to move forward and make positive changes in my life, my past was a barrier. I saw getting my own place as a key part of my rehabilitation.
“My support worker put me in touch Wrekin’s Specialist Housing Service. I wasn’t hopeful after all of the rejections I’d received, but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made.”
Wrekin’s Specialist Housing Service helps people find somewhere to live in a number of ways.
- By giving you independent advice
- Finding you possible places to live
- Help with filling in forms
- Help with a bond for a deposit
- Pointing you towards other organisations who can help you
Matthew added: “They couldn’t have been more supportive. They called me and said they had a property for me to view – I was in complete shock! They treated me as a human being, I wasn’t judged – they knew I was in a dire situation and wanted to help. I took the property and I haven’t looked back since.
“Both Sally and Hannah from the team have been absolutely brilliant. They couldn’t have done enough for me and I know I can always pick up the phone and call them if I have any issues. They will always go out of the way to help me and I cannot thank them enough. Without the solid foundation of a place to call my own, I dread to think where I would be now.
“It’s been four years since I was released and I haven’t looked back. I am clean and I am now giving talks to people about my experience.
“The best thing is that now I have a really good relationship with both my mum and other members of my family. I can stress how important getting a house through Wrekin was – it really was the making of me. Since then I’ve gone from strength to strength and I can’t thank the team enough.
If you are risk of being made homeless and need support, please call Wrekin’s specialist housing team on 01743 341 900 or email SHS@wrekin.com
15th July 2021