“A” came to Weston-super-Mare in the summer following a release from prison, arriving in with no support network or housing in place. The YMCA Rough Sleeping Outreach Team met “A” during an early morning Outreach walk, completing an assessment with “A” to understand his support needs. The Team were able to establish he needed support with long-standing addiction issues, which related to earlier trauma in his life.
The Outreach Team provided “A” with the necessities to keep himself safe and warm whilst rough sleeping, whilst continuing to explore his options around housing. Due to his local connection being in another area, his housing options in North Somerset were very limited as this was not something he could afford on his own.
Through the rapport and relationship built by the Outreach Team with “A”, we were able to understand his past in depth; whilst initially reluctant to disclose many details, he soon opened up about his addictions before he went to prison and “A” had expressed to the Team now that he was out of prison he was wanting to stay clean and make a new life for himself. The Outreach Team were able to connect him to We Are With You, an organisation supporting individuals in North Somerset with substance use issues and alcohol misuse issues who were able to support with appropriate and supportive interventions.
The Outreach Team worked with “A” who was able to re-establish his connection with his mother. After a discussion, we established she was willing for him to return provided he had engaged with the services provided, which we were able to confirm. At the early part of Autumn, we were able to provide a train ticket needed for “A”, as part of our Reconnection Scheme, which ensures individuals are able to reconnect with family and areas where they can access resources they are entitled to.
