Unspoken Stories

 

Sara, 2014

 

My 31-years old sister, Sara, had been clean for nine months. She had been an addict for the past 15 years.  She is beautiful, funny, intelligent and artistic…She is my best friend!

 

Sara was doing so well up until she came back to London after being at the Nelson Trust’s women’s service, in Gloucester, for several months.

 

Sara was referred to a residential unit for men and women who had been clean for 5-20 years.

On arrival, Sara was given the keys to her room and that was it! It was an odd residence to place her in, as she had left a unit where she had 24 hour support and was surrounded by women. Soon after, Sara expressed her discomfort to her keyworker, who tried to help move her - but the other places were so inappropriate, with many residents still using drugs or suffering from mental health issues.

 

We came into contact with DiversityInCare at a time of desperation. I was at my wits’ end with the service failures of local authorities; it came across as if they didn’t care.

 

DiversityInCare got straight on the case. Within nine days, Sara was given a safe and secure women-only environment to live in - with 24 hour support. DiversityInCare also provided support for me. The first thing DiversityInCare asked me was How am I?, How am I coping? What support do I need?. I have never really encountered this before. It’s hard being the support, the carer, the encourager and the one who smiles whilst your heart is breaking when things don’t go well.

 

I was ,and am, amazed by the service they provide; the advice and understanding of what Sara’s needs are and mine. Sara is doing amazing; she is doing a 12 Step programme and is starting to think about college. I’ve finally got my sister back!

 

This is a positive service and I wish more people had knowledge of DiversityInCare’s services throughout London. I am very grateful.

 

 

Susan, 2011

 

My sister began drinking heavily after meeting her new boyfriend.  In no time she was using drugs and pregnant! Due to her chaotic behaviour her career as a school teacher had ended, she lost her home, and our parents refused to take her in due to her abusive and threatening behaviour.

 

I was running around for months trying to get help for my alcoholic sister. Social services dumped her in a bedsit, but only visited her once a fortnight. She had no professional help and her boyfriend would regularly turn up at the bedsit with alcohol, and take her benefits to buy himself drugs. I was so scared for her! She was pregnant; with an addiction and boyfriend who encouraged her habit. Whenever she told to stop visiting her would get abusive. She tried to kill herself three times and was referred to a health unit, where her boyfriend would wait for outside. - There was no escape from him.

 

So desperate to get my sister out of the situation I came across DiversityInCare online. From the first conversation I was told what options were available to my sister and how I can get the right support for her, as a pregnant alcoholic. Within a few days my sister was referred to ‘Women’s Aid’ in Lincolnshire.

 

My sister was able to get the escape she needed and completely focus on her recovery. My sister is now stable and much happier; the bonus is she will be able to keep her baby. She is getting the support she needs thanks to the help of DiversityInCare.

Her boyfriend has been looking for her but I am glad to say she is away from his clutches.

Thank you so much. If it wasn’t for your help, God knows what would have happened to my sister and her baby.

 

 

Bridget, 2011

 

My children and I lived in fear of my husband. He would regularly beat and starve us. After a terrible night the police were called by a neighbour and my husband was arrested, and our case was taken to court.

 

After the court proceedings the judge ruled in my favour, enabling us to remain in our house, and my husband was sentenced with a restraining order. For four years my husband harassed and stalked my children and me, often sitting outside the house or the children’s school. And for four years I tried to get further help.  I wasn’t getting anywhere with Social Services, as my case was not seen as high risk, but then I meet Angela.

 

Angela came to Social Services and fought to get me and my children rehoused in a safe location. – Within a few days my children and I were safely moved to a new house, where my husband could not find us.

 

The advice DiversityInCare offered got me support for my children and a good solicitor which was very helpful. My children thought we would never get any help but the DiversityInCare team were the only ones that took time to help us. 

If it wasn’t for DiversityInCare’s support I don’t want to think about what my husband would have done to us.

 

 

Shantelle, 2009

 

Shantelle was a little girl whose mother locked her in the kitchen cupboard whenever she misbehavoured. She was 11 when she was raped by her mum’s boyfriend. When she confided in her mum, she was beaten and called ‘a wicked child’.

 

By the age of 19, Shantelle had two children and a serious drinking problem. She’d a ‘great’ boyfriend who would babysit while she sold his drugs to pay her way. If she refused, the beatings were torturous.

 

After six months in prison, she was released with only £46 in her pocket.  She was now seen as ‘intentionally homeless’ due to her imprisonment; her children were in foster care, and with no support from her family, Shantelle was homeless. She turned to her best friend, alcohol, who comforted her while she slept in an abandoned car for two weeks.

 

When she asked her social worker about getting her children back she was told she had to get herself housed. They also said that she couldn’t be considered for supervised visits to see her kids until she’d “pulled herself together”. Homeless, with nowhere to turn, she went back to her boyfriend and the cycle began again.

 

Two years later when Shantelle found DiversityInCare, she’d had two more children, and still no access to her other kids or somewhere safe to live.

 

Fourteen days after she was referred to DiversityInCare, Shanetelle was allocated a new family social worker, was able to have supervised visits with her children and was provided with a four bedroom property. Shantelle attended regular employment training sessions and addiction support classes, organised by DiversityInCare. After six weeks, Social Services felt she was sufficiently stable to have full access to her children, while supported by her family social worker.

DiversityInCare’s advocacy motivated Shantelle to make better choices not only for herself but for her children as well.