Hi could do with some much needed advice

SupremeKnight

Hi there, 

I’m 31 and currently homeless in manchester, the council ruled they didn’t have a duty of care last year for emergency accommodation and so a charity put me into a hostel. I grew up in care from the age of 7 and have no family support. I have suffered really bad ptsd for over 12 years, through being brutally assaulted when i was 18 whilst i was also homeless. These people were caught and prosecuted. 

This hostel they put me in was seriously triggering my symptoms. My room was like a cell. I was treated as if i was a criminal. Constantly harassed by the staff. I couldn't function at all because i was in a constant fight or flight mode. The people who lived there were very much like the people who did that to me,  rightly or wrongly it was reminding me of what happened when i was 18. I had to leave for my mental health it was destroying me. 

I tried on numerous occasions to tell the hostel i was not coping. They did nothing. I have a forensic psychologist report that goes into huge detail about my condition and what is wrong with me.

My question is, i feel ignored. I feel abandoned. What do i do to resolve this issue? Its like getting blood out of a stone with the council. I have a cica case regarding what happened that’s coming into its 4th year. I have medical evidence. There must be someone i can talk to who can help. 

I very rarely ever post about my life online, but i really need someone’s help here.

SueHeath

Morning @SupremeKnight welcome to our great group.
I'm so sorry to hear about your problems, i do not have any advice for you, but i didn't want to ignore you.
I am really hoping one of the admin staff @Tori_Scope @Alex_Scope @Hannah_Scope will pick up on your thread and will be able to give you some support. Please stay with the forum and see if you can get help. 

leeCal

I just want to echo what Sueheath has said, I hope one of the admin staff can help you very soon. In the meantime try to stay positive, even bad things don’t last forever. 

Tori_Scope

Thanks for the tag @SueHeath.

Welcome to the community @SupremeKnight I've just sent you an email from community@scope.org.uk, so please do keep an eye out for that if you can.

I'm sorry to hear that things are tough for you at the moment.

Do you receive any support for your PTSD? If not, you could start by using one of the following resources: 

• Mind: read about self-care for PTSD 
• PTSD UK: treatment and help 

Is your GP aware of your PTSD and homelessness? I'd encourage you to speak to them about what's been going on if you haven't already. They should be able to point you towards some sources of support, and talk you through your options.

Do you have somewhere safe to stay at the moment?

I'd encourage you to contact the following organisations, who may be able to help:

• Shelter
• Street Support Network
• Homeless Link

As it's been a year since you contacted your local council about your housing situation, I'd encourage you to get back in touch with them to see if they can help you secure suitable accommodation. You can search for the right people to contact through the gov.uk website.

  

I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience at the last hostel you were at, too. Did you report the harassment from the staff? Do you mind me asking in what way they were harassing you?

SupremeKnight

Hi @SueHeath @leeCal @Tori_Scope

First of all i just want to say i’m brand new to forums so i hope I’m doing this right! Thanks for taking the time to respond. I hugely appreciate your words. 

Reading these replies today really cheered me up. 

So last night after i wrote on this forum, straight after i sent a email along with my psychiatrist report to the mental health homeless team. 

I woke up early today, and got on the phone to housing solutions, once again i was met by a argumentative, confrontational adviser who wouldn’t let me talk without interrupting and kept skipping on why i had become homeless and kept focusing on the fact i lived at the hostel and there for was not homeless. I asked to speak to another advisor because i found her difficult to communicate to, she said wouldn’t be possible, i asked for her name, she said kathy, i said kathy who?  and she put the phone down on me. 

This is a continuation of the brick wall I’ve faced from this council for over 12 years. Despite the fact i was a care leaver, and have no family support at all. Been the victim of a serious crime and cooperated throughout and brought them to justice. Not for revenge, but to stop them doing it to someone else. I think whats changed is have the evidence now. I have CICA claim that is into its forth year next year. Hopefully ill be able to move on with my life if and when i win.

I rang the mental health homeless team who had luckily picked the email up and had gone through the psychiatrist report. They are having a meeting about me on tuesday. Fingers crossed i get the help i need.

my pip assessment report is back with dwp, and i sent the psychiatrist report to them today. So hopefully fingers crossed ill get it and that will help. 

I told mental health, that its not just the case of putting me in somewhere, i said i need to get better too.


I see my gp next tuesday and will be telling them everything thats gone on so they can correspond with mental health. I’m hopeful this could be the start of the journey of getting better. I can’t go on feeling like this forever unfortunately. A bad roll of the dice in life’s great game my friends. 

I’m currently staying with a friend of mine, but he’s putting his own tenancy at risk by me staying here. I’ve told the mental health that. And that I’m only here because i feel safe.

As for the hostel, the staff were invasive, calling  me everyday, finding the most pettiest reasons to inspect your room. Never listened to any concerns. Fire alarms constantly going off at all hours. But they would leave it blaring to the point it hurt my ears. There’s a top down pyramid system there, where the boss thinks she can do what she likes. She never engages with the people she’s actually there for. I was bluntly told  if i didn’t like it you know where the door is. I think that kind of sums it up in a nutshell. There was complete lack of professionalism. Even one of their own staff left because he was unhappy with how the place was being run. This is before we even talk about the actual people who live there. And whilst i hate to judge, any normal person is going to feel frightened in that kind of environment. Let alone someone like me. Despite the odds, I’m not a criminal, I’ve never been to jail. A statistic thats rare for someone like me and something I’m immensely proud of deep down.

I hope this has been a positive update for everyone. If you have any questions or further advice, I’m all ears. Thank you all ever so much! 

SueHeath

Good evening @SupremeKnight yep you tagged us right   
I'm so glad that Tori and leecal got involved in your chat, they are very good people.
When your ready have a look around the site, i think you will be impressed with what the forum offers, there's lots going on, some of us go to the virtual coffee lounge, it's a great place for general chats, games, arts and meeting many of us, we all have our own Demons (disabilaties)  but were a great bunch of friendly people.

L_Volunteer

You are doing this right @SupremeKnight. Though, I would question if there’s a wrong way!

You are welcome for our responses. Our responses are the very least you deserve and we recognise your appreciation.

Really glad we were able to support you and help cheer you up. It sounds like you are experiencing a really difficult time, especially in terms of other people’s responses.

I hope you receive the help you need and deserve. In the meantime, is there anything that might help things to feel more manageable for you?

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything else we can do to support you. We are all here for you and listening to you.

You don’t have to experience this, or anything else, alone if you don’t want to. Take care for now and we will look forward to, hopefully, hearing from you again soon 

Cher_Alumni

Hello @SupremeKnight how are you today? It's a cold one so I hope you're somewhere nice and warm. Are you still staying at your friends?

Thank you for the update and it sounds like lots of positive things are happening, and you're being proactive in fighting for what is best for you. I hope the mental health homeless team meeting and GP appointment go as well as possible on Tuesday, maybe write down some notes before you see your doctor to ensure you cover everything important whilst you're there.

I also understand you wanting to leave the hostel and admire your determination not to get on the wrong side of the law, be proud of who you are - you should be 

If you have time to read the email Tori sent you and reply, that would be fab but there's no pressure.

Take care and please let us know how you get on.

woodbine

@SupremeKnight hi and welcome from me also, sorry to hear how hard things are for you and truly hope a solution can be found soon.
Good luck and remember if you just want somewhere to chat there is usually someone on here.
Take care.