Continued from Part 1 (Read it here)

Turning Point

Hels experience of homelessness lasted many years. In the first part of her story she explained how it pushed her from place to place. At this point, she had accepted private rental sector accommodation in a converted office complex, created under permitted development rules. The units here were smaller than usual permitted minimum standards. They were also problematical for many of its residents.

She met the Bristol Goods team here when they were operating a pop-up shop in this development. She soon found that access to food was only the first aspect of the project. “The rest was information and advice,” she explains.

Prevention strategy

Bristol Goods’ prevention strategy is food-led. Typically working in areas identified as ‘food deserts’ where access to varied affordable, fresh produce is significantly below average. The residents who lived alongside Hels would often be recovering from a period of homelessness or precarious housing. Many had issues with the spaces they lived in; this included Hels, who found that she was able to talk to the Bristol Goods team about her current situation, and how it failed to meet her needs.

Our team were there to help Hels to identify what she wanted to do, examine the options available, and take action. This included navigating the housing allocations system in Bristol, known as Home Choice. Her circumstances meant she wasn’t eligible to bid for a social home immediately. “I didn't know anything about Home Choice, I wasn’t told,” she tells us, “I had to get a friend to help me set it up. It was a lot harder because I didn't know the system. And then Jess and Ben [Bristol Goods team] helped me out with that. I didn't know I couldn't bid for two years, but then I was bidding, bidding, bidding!”

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Good Food

While the support was ongoing, Hels continued to benefit from the pop-up food shop. She points out the difference between a food bank and a food club like Bristol Goods. “If you go to a food bank, they give you food that you might not eat or you can't eat. It’s the problem I have because I'm diabetic and I'm coeliac. I can't get the right kind of food that I need. So [at Bristol Goods] you can pick what you can eat, and avoid what you can't eat, which is better than wasting it.”

At this point we realised that Hels had also received meal deliveries from our Cheers Drive pandemic lockdown response that was the inspiration to continue food-led prevention work and launch Bristol Goods. This provided food to people in precarious accommodation with limited or no cooking facilities. “I didn't know it was same people until I bumped into Ben and remembered it was his beetroot curry I fell in love with!” says Hels with a giggle.

She tells us how vital it was having a reliable source of advice and information on hand from Bristol Goods. “Because of everything that was going on, and what we were being put through, they told me what I should do. Keep reporting it. Keep on top of it. Having someone telling me what I should do was good for me. [They] were a great support.”

Moving on…

Hels agreed that the support helped to relieve the pressure of living in a place that didn’t feel safe and poorly met her needs. She recalls the moment she realised that all the actions that Bristol Goods had supported her with led to a successful bid on a new home. I ask her how she felt, and she laughs, “Fantastic! I absolutely couldn’t wait. As soon as I found out I started packing. When you walked into my room all you saw was box after box after box! I was ready. I wanted to go there and then!”

The Full Journey

Hels makes a good point, “It wasn’t easy. It was more expensive than I anticipated.” After a long period of homelessness, followed by a difficult period in unsuitable accommodation, finding her feet had its challenges. At Caring in Bristol, we know that simply finding a safe and suitable home is often the start of a new journey. We don’t always have the knowledge to hand to help us make the most of this. After she moved, our Early Doors team provided her with some additional support to help with the adjustment to living in her new flat, connecting her with the information, advice, and resources that would help to make the change from precarious to permanent housing a lasting change. She says, “It's good to have that longer-term support when you need it. It's not all the time, but It's helpful to speak to somebody outside my circle if I've got a problem.” She went on to talk about the complexities of the housing and benefits systems, saying, “I didn’t know what I had to do.” Fortunately, a little input from our team has helped to find a way through it all. They’ve been able to prevent any big problems from arising.

The Voice of Experience

Before we finished our conversation, I asked Hels what needs to change to support people out of precarious accommodation and homelessness. Having spent many years in these situations, it’s not surprising that she talks about the need for targeted, timely responses. “There should be more support around your housing. It doesn't matter if it's council or private or housing association. You have a problem? They should jump on it!”

From Cheers Drive during the Covid pandemic, to Bristol Goods, and finally to Early Doors; Caring in Bristol has been alongside Hels through each part of her journey to finding the dignity of a safe and secure home. This is something that we believe everyone should have. Hels’ story reminds us that when it comes to housing, we don’t always know what the bigger picture is. We might not know how to work our way through its complexities. She has shown tremendous strength and tenacity in enduring a housing system that has not met her needs. By meeting these unmet needs, Caring in Bristol’s services are minimising the distress and trauma of housing insecurity, and helping to direct resources in the most efficient and effective way.

We’re helping to make Bristol a stronger city to live in. Preventing a crisis is in all our interests, and Hels stands as an inspirational and hopeful example that a better future can be possible when we work together for change.

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