Posted on 11 September 2024
At Hyde, our priority is providing our customers with safe and comfortable homes. Lettings Advisor, Marie from our Empty Homes and Lettings team, tells us how she worked with our customer, Vicki, to move her to Snowhills, Yaxley. Marie tells us more:
Meet Vicki
Vicki is 51 years old and has cerebral palsy. She had previously lived with her mother and father in Peterborough. However, Vicki’s father sadly passed away and her mother had to move into a care home. This left her brother to care for Vicki, but he was also being supported to find alternative accommodation of his own.
At the time of our interview with Vicki to find her suitable alternative accommodation, she explained that she was being supported by Mencap and social services and that this would be ongoing when she moved to her new home.
Snowhills
When thinking about a suitable home for Vicki, I immediately thought of Snowhills.
Snowhills in Yaxley, Peterborough, is sheltered housing for people aged 55 or over. However, in the right circumstances and in consultation with scheme managers, we sometimes approve younger applicants. We thought that Snowhills would be perfect for Vicki and took her to see it.
I remember Vicki being very scared about the changes to her life when she first visited Snowhills to look at the flat. She was coping with grief and anxiety about how she would manage being apart from her brother and mother. I remember despite her anxiety, she was brave and looked at the positive things that having your own home and independence brings.
With a robust support plan in place and a gentle approach, the day came when Vicki collected the keys to her new home at Snowhills, last September.
Vicki now
Since moving there, I have seen Vicki on many occasions when visiting the scheme.
Vicki has grown into a happy, independent person and she tells me she loves her new life and home at Snowhills. She is special to other residents within the scheme because of her caring nature.
I have seen how Vicki has interacted with everyone she meets and how she is willing to help anyone if she can. I have been there with new residents and if Vicki has been around, she’s welcomed them and told them how great the scheme is.
I am happy for Vicki that her move to Snowhills has been a success. Ultimately, I’m proud that we were able to support Vicki and make things happen so that she could find her forever home during a very difficult time.
Vicki wrote me a letter and I asked her if I could share it - which she was happy to do.
She wrote:
My life story about Snowhills.
I came around to look at my new flat last year.
I have amazing brothers and sisters called Richard, Alex, Ian, Mike and Amanda who loaded up my furniture over to Snowhills. They painted my flat, painting it white and grey plus blue in the bathroom.
I made new friends called Janice, Bernice, Maxine, Richard, Roy, Mavis and Sue. They tried their best to make me settle in my new flat. I found I lost my bearings at first.
I introduced myself to a very posh lady called Maxine and I was on a tour with her to show me where the cupboard was. It felt like I was walking around a rabbit tunnel. I walked around the gardens.
I got a new bed in my flat. There are two storage units, plus a bathroom, kitchen and living room. There is a nice lounge and laundry room.
I am under special needs and a very vulnerable person. I work at QDS Home Bargains on a Saturday and all day on Mondays. I also go to art club and rock and roll evenings, which I enjoy.
On a Tuesday morning, I go and help a lady down in the block called Mavis. I do her washing for her. I take it down to the laundry room with a basket with her washing and she tells me how to wash her clothes and rinse them as well. Then I put the clothes in the tumble dryer for her and then I take them back to her flat.
I also do jigsaws to help my fingers to relax in the evenings if I’m bored. I also go swimming on a weekday, and I like history as well.
Being in Snowhills has shown me how to be more independent with cooking, cleaning and washing. I have Mencap once a day to help my skills and go shopping on a Friday.
I feel comfortable living here and safe and have lovely scheme officers called Daniela and Andrea. If they are not here, I also have pull cord and a pendent if there’s any problems when I have no one onsite if I fall.
Signed Vicki