Richie
When Richie left care, he moved into semi-independent housing with support from a charity. After a year, he was evicted and began moving between hostels – including a brief period of homelessness – just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. This period deeply affected his mental health. Richie does not feel he was supported by social care during his transition to independence. He was told his case would be closed and only found out later that he could have challenged this. His personal advisor retired without notice, which was another emotional blow. Thankfully, a mentor from a charity stepped in to support him, though Richie has had no contact with social care services in years. While he’s incredibly grateful to the charity, they are based far away from where he lives now. He enjoys staying involved but wishes he had similar closer to home, especially in emergencies.
Richie is a White British Male in his early twenties. Richie spent many years in the care system and experienced a very difficult transition to independence.
More about me...
I’ve moved a lot since leaving care, and for a long time, I had no one to guide me through it. That left me feeling isolated. The charity that supports me now has made a huge difference – helping with everything from well-being events to practical things, like moving home.
I now volunteer regularly with them and hope to work for the charity full-time one day. My goal is to have a home of my own and to show other care leavers that even in tough times, things can get better. I want to help others feel seen, supported, and proud of how far they’ve come.
Richie said he didn’t know his case could stay open until 25. He hadn’t realised he could say no to his case being closed at 21.
Richie said he didn’t know his case could stay open until 25. He hadn’t realised he could say no to his case being closed at 21.
Sometimes it could be my decision. But a lot of the time it has been a decision made on my behalf, and also with social services, I’ve not had a PA since I was 21; they closed my case at 21. So, I’ve not had any support from social care at all, and I’ve only just recently got hold of a duty number so I can get support, but I think I’ve left that too late. So, I’ve only got a year until they will cut me off completely.
He said he was retiring, [erm] he was quite an old fella, but he said he was retiring and that my case was going to be closed at 21. But I only recently found out that I could have said no to that. Apparently, I could have said no to my case being closed, but I just said yes ’cause I felt poor.
Oh, OK. So—
I felt like a... and so I just... I literally just agreed with it and my case was closed.
OK. But there was the option to say no, I guess?
I wasn’t aware at the time; I thought they were just closing my case. Like I thought it was just procedure at 21 to close my case. I didn’t really know much about it, and I didn’t think I was gonna get a change of PA or anything, so I just agreed to it.
Richie said he found work hard after his childhood and was taking time to focus on himself, but he enjoyed volunteering.
Richie said he found work hard after his childhood and was taking time to focus on himself, but he enjoyed volunteering.
I feel like I am getting there, very slowly I suppose, but I am getting a lot better in myself and I’m just working on myself ’cause like my past is really... like really bad, so I’ve just been working on myself, then trying to get over the past, ’cause it’s kind of stuck in my head over the years, and I found it difficult to like have a stable job and stable home especially if I’ve been moving around, I’ve had to leave jobs somewhere.
I’d say most days I just do what I need to do. I just... I’m always organised and just get everything done, that’s how I am. And then I have events that come up and then... and I have these meetings, and I just always plan around it and just always attend what I can. I always take part in whatever I can, that’s why I’m doing things with the [Name of organisation] and I do things with [Name of charity], I try to just keep myself busy with lots of voluntary stuff. And I also get invited to events and days out, which is fully funded, which [Name] Charity, they pay for my travel and everything, so whenever they’ve got things going on, they pay for my travel, the lot, and then I’m not limited to what I can do, and I can then take part in everything and anything.
Richie said his main goal was to get stable housing in his home town so that he could work and build a social life.
Richie said his main goal was to get stable housing in his home town so that he could work and build a social life.
My goal right now is just get out of shared accommodation and get my own place, and have stable work where I can actually stay there. ’cause like, so with my housing situation now, it’s hard to work, so I’m focusing on getting out of here first, then like to get my own place on the housing register, then start working. Because... if I do it the other way round, if I go in full time employment, I’d have, probably like... if I gave in my notice, they’d give me 30 days to be out, so then I’d have just like 30 days, then move out and find somewhere else, which isn’t ideal. If I only just started a job, it’s not like I’m gonna have the income to back myself going privately, so it’s just not ideal, so I’m just... my only option, really, is to go on the housing register and start bidding for properties.
Definitely go back to [Town], like I’m gonna start bidding soon, I’m gonna start bidding there as well. That’s just where I wanna be, that’s... and I’m travelling there multiple times a month just to go and see friends and stuff like that, so I might as well just be there and like I’ve got no friends here at all. I don’t see anyone. I don’t do anything. The only things I do is what I’ve told you already with these companies.
Mm.
In terms of like socialising, and when I’m home I don’t have nothing like that, I don’t socialise or nothing. I mean any socialising I do is when I’ve got money for the bus fare, then go see friends, and if I haven’t got the money, I’m just stuck on my own.
Richie said a charity gave him new opportunities, including being chosen for an advisory board.
Richie said a charity gave him new opportunities, including being chosen for an advisory board.
The [Name] Charity. I got given the opportunity from the opportunities team, and I... honestly, I didn’t think I was gonna get onto it, but I did. I came in with false hopes about it, I thought I’d never get onto it, but I was surprised when I heard back from them and they said that I’d be going onto the advisory board. But recently it’s kind of messed up lately with the general election, ’cause they’ve not really been having meetings, but it’s still...
Richie tended to seek support from a charity when he needed it.
Richie tended to seek support from a charity when he needed it.
There are other services, yeah, but I tend to just go to [Name of charity] because they’re more ideal, but there are like other services I can go to. Obviously there is social care, or there’s... what’s it called... I can’t remember what it’s called now: Citizens Advice, that’s the one, places like that, I... that I know of. I know... if I need the help, I know of them, but I just tend to go to [Name of charity] because they’ve had much better support than others.
Richie didn’t feel well supported. He felt that his housing provider should check in and counselling should be offered in a private setting.
Richie didn’t feel well supported. He felt that his housing provider should check in and counselling should be offered in a private setting.
That’s the housing provider I’m with now, they don’t have accurate information and I get next to no support at all. They practically... they don’t even check on me to see if I’m all right, and I... like you’re meant to have keywork sessions and house meetings, which I’ve only had one keywork session since I’ve lived here, and I’ve lived here about three months. And I was offered counselling with them, but that was only temporary until I started the [name of service] recently. But even then, the counselling wasn’t ideal because we’re just sitting in my living room where it wasn’t really private, where with [name of service] they can take you out, you can go get a drink somewhere and... or just go out, go for a walk, or whatever. So, it’s more ideal for me ’cause it’s more private. Or they’d even... if I went... if I really need it, they would rent a room for me, like a private room somewhere, so like it’s more ideal for me. So, when I’m speaking about something that’s really deep, or upsetting, I can have it private, where when it’s in my household, and I’ve got... there’ll be five other lads living with me, it’s not private and it’s not like you’re gonna wanna know your whole household to know your... know what’s going on.
Richie described how a charity supported him with many different practical tasks.
Richie described how a charity supported him with many different practical tasks.
Even when I’ve moved, they’ve helped me move. They’ve like got their car and helped me move, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to. Or they do put on events, like wellbeing events, so like you can go for a day out and they just make random events. Like the other week I went to a farm and fed some animals, it’s better than sitting at home and doing nothing, and it’s like, it kinda improves your wellbeing, going out, so that’s what I do. And also they put on meetings, and stuff like that, like an advisory board, and a forum, and then you do get a voucher for attending as well. And I like to take part in those things, and I get to see people I used to live with, and familiar faces. Also they support with like laptops, and like recently they bought me this laptop. And years ago they bought me a bike when I started to work. They can support in many areas, even like making up appointments and things, they can help me out with, and just random things.
Richie described needing ongoing therapy, with a charity providing long-term support and his housing provider offering temporary counselling.
Richie described needing ongoing therapy, with a charity providing long-term support and his housing provider offering temporary counselling.
I’ve done therapy for years, and I’ve recently been referred to the same company I was with years ago, ’cause the [Name] Charity offer something called [wellbeing support programme], and I did that for three years only because my... the person I had, also tracked down my files, so I could find things out about my birth family. So, I did life story work with them as well as therapy, so that’s why it went on for so long. And it kept on getting extended ’cause I needed support. But recently I’ve been referred again and I recently just started it, but... but before this, I had a temporary counselling with my housing provider now, but that was only temporary while I was on the waiting list for [Charity wellbeing support programme].