Hollie, now aged 19, spent her childhood in and out of the care system, looking after family members through illness and navigating insecure housing. After her Dad passed away, Hollie didn’t have a safe place to live and a friend told her about Derventio Housing.
Hollie said: “It was really worrying to be in that situation when I was only 19. I knew someone who had been with Derventio before and she told me about them. I contacted one of the support workers and went for my first meeting with them.”
Without a job and facing a precarious housing situation, Hollie was provided with shared accommodation with support from Derventio Housing Trust. With the help of her support officers, Hollie was helped to move on into a flat of her own. Hollie is now delighted to be living independently, with security and peace of mind for the first time in her life.
Hollie said: “I’m where I want to be now. My housing and support worker from Derventio Housing Trust helped me fill in the forms and do everything I needed to get on to the council waiting list.”
As well as helping Hollie secure a council flat, Derventio Housing Trust also provided her with a fridge through Sylvester’s Fund, their charitable pot which pays for one-off items to help people settle into their new homes when they move on from supported housing.
Hollie said: “Derventio has been absolutely brilliant. They helped me get back on my feet and my support worker has been great – if there was anything I needed she would always be there straight away.”
“At the end of the day, with everything I’ve been through, this feels like stability in my life finally. If you’ve been through tough times, having somewhere to live where you feel secure is probably one of the best things you could have. Everyone has got their own story at the end of the day. To have that bit of stability and security has just been so nice.”
“I’ve had so much support from Derventio to move into my own place. It has been really nice and I’m grateful that Derventio is where I went rather than anywhere else.”
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