Background
AM first arrived at the THH (The Hope Hub) in February 2024. He appeared very confused, unable to remember where he had been staying and had lost all his belongings. He also presented with a head injury but was uncertain if he had visited a hospital for it. Gathering information about AM proved challenging due to his significant memory issues and lack of background details. We reached out to Surrey Police and local hospitals for any useful information.
Through our research, we discovered that AM had been hospitalised twice. The first instance was for a welfare check, and the second was for criminal damage after attempting to enter a local pub to sleep.
Crisis and Empowerment Support
The Hope Hub team assisted AM to contact the Surrey Heath council and made a homelessness application. However, due to not being able to prove any local connection a referral was also made to Adult Social Services so that a capacity assessment could be carried out.
This assessment was carried out in THH as it was a place that MA knew how to get to as his memory issues were significant and he was struggling to remember how to find places. He was supported to get a mobile phone from Citizens Advice as his phone had been lost and was given a phone with a 6 month fully paid Sim card from THH. Our Caseworker team then worked with AM to piece together his whereabouts during the previous years and found a relative with a local connection in the Surrey Heath area.
AM was given emergency accommodation in Slough. This made it hard for us to support AM. A caseworker visited him in Slough to ensure he had everything he needed and showed him the way to the Salvation Army so he could get local support and food. We continued to work closely with Social services to support MA but as he was not local we felt he needed more support and advocated for AM to get support closer to us.
We were successful at advocating for AM and he was placed in temporary housing in Camberley in April 2024. He is still receiving support from THH and Adult Social Services. He has been supported to register with a local GP and has recently attended a memory clinic and is awaiting his results. He is also being supported into getting support for his alcohol use. He was denying it was an issue at first but now feels ready to get support and recognises that it is having an impact on his life and wellbeing.
How we Made a Difference
We made a difference for AM by addressing his immediate needs and long-term challenges. Through persistent advocacy, we ensured AM was placed in temporary housing in Camberley and connected with essential services, including a local GP and a memory clinic. We also supported him in recognising and addressing his alcohol use. Our comprehensive support network continues to aid AM in stabilising his life and improving his wellbeing.