Quite often Advisors find they go above and beyond to serve our clients. I initially saw SG as a walk-in client at the beginning of December. She was homeless, her English was faltering but it sounded as though she had sought assistance from one housing charity but they had not successfully housed her and now … Read more
HO a newly recognised Refugee, attended her housing appointment with a friend who assisted with interpretation, one morning early in November. Like most Refugees whom I interview, she had become homeless after her Refugee status was granted. She said that she had become stressed and anxious in Norwich where the Asylum accommodation had been located; … Read more
L, A 75-year-old gentleman had made a Homeless application to a London Council eight months previously. He had been placed in Temporary Accommodation whilst Officers made their enquiries. The Council decided that he was not in priority need for housing and therefore they had no legal obligation to accommodate him. When I first saw him … Read more
TF’s calm and softly spoken voice and calm exterior belied the depth of anxiety he was in. He was a council tenant, and his son had joined a gang and allegedly threatened TF with a knife. TF had reported this to the Police and to his Neighbourhood Housing Officer whom he had little faith in, … Read more
I often find that a client will present one issue for assistance and whilst dealing with this you discover others which require a simultaneous solution because they are significant to the resolution of the first. Such was the case with Mr AZ. He came as a Walk In appointment, requesting to use the phone to call … Read more
EP had been to the Manna Centre the day before I saw her and a few of the staff were concerned that she seemed vulnerable and prioritised her for an Advice appointment. When I interviewed her, I learned she had arrived in the UK as a single female domestic violence survivor who had fled from … Read more
IAD came to see me in February this year he was a Pensioner with a long-term illness plus other health issues. He came to submit documents for his housing application, which my predecessor had started with him last year. He was anxious about the length of time that it was taking and that certain Housing … Read more
I have reflected on how a language barrier can cause someone to fall foul of the systems here unknowingly, I have observed this with Universal Credit Claims, the last one happened recently. SWG attended an appointment at Manna stating that his Universal Credit had been stopped. Also, his mobile phone wasn’t working he could not … Read more
RA is an existing client who recently became homeless. He had been living with his mother and relations between her and his siblings had become strained. Additionally, the place where they were staying was overcrowded. He later started a relationship with his girlfriend and had moved in with her. Tragically she had died two months … Read more
George was a client whom I dealt with as a walk-in one day, he was disheveled, anxious and it was evident that he was sleeping rough. Manna had supported him to take a test to get a qualification for his trade, he had failed it and he had come to apply to resit the test. … Read more
