Our County Mental Health worker supports people who are homeless in Nottinghamshire

Trigger warning: mentions mental illness and suicidal ideation.

When we started working with Ben*, he was living at a supported accommodation provider in Nottinghamshire. He had found himself with nowhere to stay after a relationship breakdown.

Ben has a personality disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and depression, and is awaiting a bipolar disorder diagnosis. In the space of four months, an ambulance had been called to attend him five times. He had been admitted to hospital twice as a result of his suicidal intentions. He wasn’t engaging with his GP because he’d given up hope and felt like medication wouldn’t make an impact. 

He started working with our County Mental Health Worker in February 2024. She encouraged him to engage with his GP and as a result, he started taking the right medication. She also referred him to talking therapies, for which he is on a waiting list. He is proactively addressing his struggles with addiction and is awaiting the results of an assessment from a local drug and alcohol support service.

They’re working together on how to respond to trigger events and since we started working with him, he hasn’t needed an ambulance call out and hasn’t needed to attend hospital.

Ben is working towards living independently. He is a lorry driver by trade and would like to start working again. He’d love to get back on his motorbike. He’s rebuilding his relationship with his son, who he communicates with by letter, and is working on his alcohol issues. He’s building a positive relationship with his parents, who are becoming a real support network. 

Ben said: “What you’re doing for me is amazing. Be proud of what you do because you do it well. I thank you for being there with me.”

If you’d like to help us support more people like Ben, please consider making a donation or volunteering.