Posted on 10 July 2023
Teamwork gave Jay* (and her pets) a new home and a new job
Jay was living in her car. Thanks to Hyde Foundation and our Empty Homes and Lettings team, she now has a new home, a new job and a new life.
Jay was made homeless because of a domestic abuse situation. She and her two pets had to leave her home town where the abuse was taking place. She moved somewhere new where she had no friends or family and was forced to sleep in her car. Despite everything she was going through, Jay started volunteering at a church who work with one of our community partners, UK Harvest. UK Harvest collect surplus food and redistribute it to people in food poverty. Jay also started applying for jobs and trying to get herself a new home.
Jay applied for a home through our Empty Homes and Lettings team for an intermediate rent property. However, in the affordability assessment, it was clear that Jay was in a Catch 22 situation; although Jay had applied for and been offered a job, she didn’t have an address, so the employer couldn’t give her a contract. Because she didn’t have a job, she wasn’t able to meet the deposit (two months’ rent) and security payment for her new Hyde home.
Luckily, we were able to help. Our Empty Homes and Lettings team worked tirelessly to support Jay as her case was so difficult and Hyde Foundation’s Advice and Advocacy team also played a vital role.
The first step our advice and advocacy experts took was to support Jay to reduce her credit card payments and make an application to Hyde Charitable Trust’s Domestic Abuse Fund. Jay was awarded a grant for the full amount she needed to secure her tenancy.
Hyde Foundation also signposted her to another of our community partners - social prescribing specialists - who were able to support Jay to register with the local GP and get specialist support for domestic abuse related mental health issues and link her in with other local community support.
Using our benefit calculator, we helped Jay complete a benefit check and update her details on the Universal Credit housing element, which would support her rent payments.
Jay has now signed her tenancy agreement and got her new job on the back of our support, making a great home for herself (and her pets) in her new home town.
And, as a result of this interaction with the social prescribing team, our Hyde Foundation team was invited to attend a social prescribers’ team meeting and induction day to explain the support we can offer our vulnerable residents, when to refer and the easy referral process.
“Thank you so much for the incredibly positive meeting. We were left feeling quite overwhelmed, by just how much support there was on offer from Hyde Foundation.” Social Prescriber Team Leader.
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