Paul was referred to us through Housing Options at the Council. He had been sleeping rough for a few months with his dog Max and had been placed in temporary accommodation. Paul was vulnerable and unfortunately, he needed to move out because people kept knocking on his door in the night asking for stuff. This made them both anxious and Max would start barking. Other people in the shared accommodation complained. Paul became very unsettled and eventually decided to sleep rough again. As he had chosen to leave his temporary accommodation, he lost his place on the waiting list for something more suitable.

When we first interviewed Paul he was at a very low ebb. We explained that we would do our very best to get him into a private rented property. This would be made more difficult because many landlords do not accept pets. We kept in touch with Paul on a daily basis as we searched for somewhere suitable. After 4 days of intensive searching and discussions with landlords we found somewhere that would accept both Paul and Max. It wasn’t ideal, but this gave us a breathing space whilst we searched for a more permanent home for the pair.

Paul moved into the private rented flat the following week. As he had been sleeping rough for a while, he had no belongings. We managed to get him a homeless pack which included a kettle, microwave, toaster, cutlery, crockery, and towels. Then we sourced other essentials for the flat including a bed, bedding, settee, food, plus a gas and electric meter top-up. Paul and Max were very grateful and were able to move in straight away.

We managed to get Paul moved up the housing waiting list because of his assessed needs.

Within a month he was successful in getting a property that suited his circumstances. Paul and Max moved in the week after viewing the property and we managed to get a ‘man and a van’ to help with the move. We even helped him get his new flat carpeted!

Paul and Max are now settled in their new home. They are both enjoying being settled with a roof over their heads and all the comforts that have enabled them to make a new home. We are now helping Paul to make a good new start in his life.

Paul explains:

“I was put in touch with Street Life because the Council couldn’t help both me and my dog. Very quickly they got me somewhere to stay. I can’t put into words what they have been able to do for me. They really understood all my needs and kept in touch through what was a really stressful time in my life. I never imagined I would end up sleeping rough. Street Life was really helpful and supportive all through this. Thanks to them, both me and my dog now have a good new home. I can’t thank them enough”.