To give a greater understanding of LHC we present five case studies. The first three illustrate how our schemes provide continuous and ongoing support to bring about positive changes to a service users life. The fourth gives an understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in this field by following a typical working day in the life of one of Sustain's Floating Support Workers, whilst the final piece gives an insight into the activities and events which make up a day at the Potterdale Community Resource Centre. Names in all cases have been changed to protect identity and images are for illustrative purposes only.

When Alison was referred to the Young Person’s scheme she suffered low self-esteem and depression, leading to her self-harming. These problems were compounded by her continued use of alcohol. Alison was housed in one of the scheme’s smaller, shared houses to help her develop her social and personal skills. Once she had settled in and established a good relationship with her housemate, staff were able to help Alison access specialist services to alleviate her depression and self-harming, increase her self esteem and tackle her alcohol abuse. Alison eventually moved into one of the scheme’s single units and established her independence, at the same time embarking upon the scheme’s life skills training programme, which ran in partnership with the youth training provider, Opex. Staff continued to support Alison through her time studying on an access course and later in helping her to apply for a place at University. She is now in her second year of a Bachelor of Arts degree at University.

When John came to the hostel he was leading a chaotic lifestyle and in a situation in which he never expected to find himself – living in a hostel, drinking alcohol heavily and with an impending court case. At first, it was difficult to engage with John because he spent long periods away from the hostel and missed appointments.When we did see him, he was often intoxicated and feeling low. However, as John settled at the hostel, we were able to help by accompanying him to appointments and attending court. As John gradually got to know staff and residents better, he began to play a more full and helpful role in the hostel. He took part in scheme excursions, such as volunteering as a marshal at a Yorkshire Air Ambulance charitable event, and attending an outdoor pursuits weekend in the Lake District. John continued to drink alcohol heavily inbetween such events, and all his socialising was with other drinkers, but he managed to stay sober whilst doing these activities. As John’s confidence grew he began to get increasingly more frustrated by his situation and started talking about moving out of the hostel. With help from staff he put in bids for council properties. John also began to recognise the extent of his alcohol problem and staff helped him to put in a referral to a residential detox centre. This reflected well on his court case, resulting in him being given a community probation order, rather than a custodial sentence. John successfully bid for a council property, which he has fully furnished with the help of an LHC ‘Move On’ grant. His detox is going well and he is receiving ongoing support from Probation. John often visits the hostel to chat with staff and residents and to update us on his progress,and is currently looking forward to settling into his new flat on completion of his detox rehabilitation.

Margaret was invited to speak at LHC's 2004 Annual General Meeting so delegates could understand the impact the organisation can make, in a service users own words. Below is a transcript of her speech. "I came to LHC through my CPN. At that time I was on my own, sat all day watching the telly, not going out or speaking to anybody. I had a flat but I was not coping. I lost the ability to talk to people. How to speak to other people when you are totally on your own or trying to have a conversation when you have no confidence, was the hardest thing for me. I thought that nobody was interested in me or I was thinking ‘I’ve not been anywhere or done anything interesting to talk about. "My CPN was aware of a scheme for women like myself, who have no or low self esteem. This scheme is known as Carrbeck, run by LHC and consists of six one bedroom self contained flats for women like myself. I was privileged to have been one of the first women to be given a place there. Because there are six ladies all together in the same building it forced me to come out of myself and begin to talk to other people. When I first got a chance at Carrbeck, they used to call me the mouse because I was always in the background, quiet and not there. "For once in my life I could be me without having to put a face on it. I didn’t have to apologise for being there. I didn’t have to apologise for being me. We were all in the same boat, all facing the same problems. I was accepted for my bad points as well as my good points. I didn’t have to say I was sorry for who I was. The problems I had before moving to Carrbeck, had been my life, but at Carrbeck, they were put into perspective and had become only a part of my life. "I was there for two to three years before I personally felt that I was strong enough to face the world. Carrbeck helped me to build up my confidence. In fact, I had built up so much confidence by the end that I was ready to move on. I still needed some support and I was offered a flat in the Women’s Sector that gave me the back up of support when I needed it. I stayed with the Women’s Sector of LHC for some time and began to go to Potterdale Community resource Centre and Community Support scheme. I needed that time in the flat run by the Women’s Sector as a buffer between getting the 24 hour care at Carrbeck to completely being on my own. I soon felt confident enough to go it alone and moved to another flat of my own, knowing I had the support of Potterdale. "With Potterdale I got the incentive to get myself motivated and not hibernate in the flat on my own. I found things like the shopping trips excellent because they help you go and do it for yourself rather than giving a note to someone else to get it for you. Just deciding what tin of peas to get means such a lot to someone like me. Potterdale gave me a heck of a lot of friends. This gave me the incentive to get up, get organised, get out and take pride in myself. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been bothered to even get dressed, because, what’s the point when nobody’s going to see me. I get home care on a Wednesday and I am now that proud that the house is spotless when she comes round. I now help other people as a volunteer at the Belle Isle foundation. It took a whole load of confidence to do this, confidence that LHC gave me. "Even though I have moved on from LHC, I still keep in touch with the friends I met there. Friends still come round to see me or I go round to see them or I just give them a ring for a chat. It’s nice to bump into people I know down at Morrisons. Believe it or not I am still welcome to pop in anytime to the Potterdale as the staff who I also class as my friends, always make me feel welcome. I feel I can still speak to someone about personal problems or just call in for a cup of tea and a chat. I still feel I have a safety net in that Potterdale I know is still there and will give the help I need if I want it. In saying that though, I have not needed their help, but it’s dammed reassuring to know it’s there should I need it! "It is because of the help and support from Leeds Housing Concern and especially the staff that works for them who have given me the confidence, motivation and self esteem to write this. LHC tries to get people to do things for themselves rather than doing everything for them. I felt I was a human being and not a statistic or number. You are treated like a person, an individual and this helped me build up my self esteem. I’ve got a sense of self worth and purpose to my life. I now plan for the future and have stopped living in the past. God knows where I’d be now if I hadn’t got the help from Carrbeck, The Women’s Sector and Potterdale.

		In 2003 LHC launched Sustain, a floating support scheme to assist people using drugs and / or alcohol who are at risk of losing existing tenancies. Working alongside other agencies, Sustain takes services direct to users on an outreach basis. Crucially, Sustain works to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place, taking services direct to users. 9:30am Visit Mike, a 54 year old male who lives alone.He suffers from depression, mild mobility problems and has a drink problem, but is sober this morning.He has been subjected to harassment by local youths and I assist Mike in putting across his views to the EMO (Estate Management Officers) this morning. We then look through ‘Leeds Homes’ and put in bids for more appropriate properties. 10:30am Visit a young, male drug user in a nearby high rise flat for a pre-arranged appointment, but he is not in and his mobile is switched off. 10:45am Call another service user and visit her in Pudsey. Janice is 44 years old and has a drink problem. I discuss her reported anti-social behaviour and her visitors’ aggression towards neighbours, emphasising that this will further jeopardise her tenancy. Janice has been trying to stop these visitors but one man has been leaving threatening messages. We agree to phone the police together. 12:00pm Return to the office.Write up files, follow-up telephone messages and have lunch. 12:30pm Go with a colleague to interview someone referred by a local drugs scheme. She is a 17 year old drug user who has recently left prison and returned to tenancy but has significant rent arrears. After the assessment we agree to let her know later that day if we can support her. 2:00pm Go to assess another referral, a 21 year old male with drink issues, referred by EMO due to him displaying anti-social behaviour and violence. The property is barely furnished. I agree to contact him following our team meeting on Thursday. 3:00pm Back to the office to follow-up telephone messages and take the details of another referral over the phone. Discuss the interview at the drugs scheme with our team leader.Agree to support her and arrange the earliest available appointment. 4:15pm Go to see a 43 year old, male drug user with mental health problems. He is vulnerable and two local drug users have moved themselves into his tenancy and are taking money from him. When I enter the premises they are both present. I ask if I can be alone with the service user but they refuse to leave.They have all recently used heroin together and I feel it is not a time for productive work. I tell him I will call tomorrow to make another appointment. 4:30pm Telephone my line manager to let her know I’m out of the property and post mail on way home.

		Potterdale Community Resource Centre was formally opened in 2003 for people over 50 suffering from mental health problems and/or social isolation. Users of the Centre typically face issues such as depression, learning difficulties, loneliness, physical disability, social exclusion, problems dealing with finances and correspondence, lack of motivation and difficulties being ‘heard’ by healthcare professionals. Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the Day Centre and its support workers provide vital emotional support and practical assistance. A typical day goes something like this... 9:00am Service users are picked up by minibus or make their own way to the Centre. 10:30am Tea and coffee is served and service users socialise with one another and get involved in one of the Day Centre’s clubs such as the domino and cards groups. This is also a time when service users can see their key support worker (each service user is assigned a key worker when they first come to the centre).Their key support worker will listen to their issues and requirements and help he or she to manage various areas of their life. This could include coping with debts, handling correspondence, organising transport, making telephone calls, arranging appointments, completing application forms and generally providing community support. 12:00-12:30pm Lunch is provided by outside catering for service users for a small fee. 1:00-3:00pm Service users can choose to join in afternoon activities, for example group sessions run by centre staff and external visitors in response to their needs and requests. These cover topic sas varied as healthy eating, computer skills, beauty therapy, flower arranging, Tai Chi and chair exercises. Alternatively, service users are free to use the Centre’s facilities such as the laundry, baths andshowers, a computer with internet access or a garden designed specifically for elderly people. 3:00pm A daily game of bingo is played, which is not only enjoyed by all but helps to keep service users mentally active and alert. 3:30pm After a cup of tea and some fruit, they start to go home. On Wednesdays, service users are taken to Morrison’s supermarket and for a meal out, and once a month a trip is organised for non-food shopping based on where service users choose to go. Away days such as these enable staff, who work as a very closely knit team, to attend to administration, hold planning meetings and receive training towards NVQ certification. The Day Centre also arranges two affordable, and often subsidised, holidays per year, typically to a seaside resort, as well as encouraging service users to go on holiday themselves by assisting in the arrangements. This type of support lies at the heart of what Potterdale Day Centre is all about – giving people the confidence to retain their independence and manage their lives successfully.