Posted on 10 March 2023
Thanks to Hyde Foundation, Duncan now has a solid and stable home to begin to rebuild his life.
Duncan was living in a Hyde home after spending a long time sofa-surfing – he’d been given priority because of his ongoing mental health issues. He built a home for himself that he was proud of.
Unfortunately, Duncan’s hot water system broke down and it took a long time to repair. This made life very difficult for Duncan because he has a skin condition and needs to wash twice a day with a prescribed solution. Without hot water, he wasn’t able to keep clean and this led to his mental and physical health getting worse.
Luckily, with the help of Hyde Foundation’s Advice and Advocacy Adviser, Joseph Clark, a new flat was found for Duncan.
Joseph helped Duncan move to the new flat and to put a plan in place to pay the rent arrears he’d run up on his previous one. Joseph worked with other teams within Hyde on Duncan’s behalf to make sure the issues were sorted quickly so Duncan could start afresh. He even secured a grant for kitchen appliances and flooring for Duncan’s new home.
Ongoing support
The help Duncan still receives from Joseph is an important part of his ongoing support.
Joseph initially helped Duncan claim his Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Duncan said Joseph was ‘incredibly helpful and instrumental in the original application’. This was first awarded three years ago and Joseph has just ensured the renewal of Duncan’s PIP, giving him additional income to help support his care needs.
Duncan added: “Joseph is a genuine human who took an interest and wanted to help me...I would've given up if it wasn’t for Joseph’s help.”
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