December 2016

Simon has had a rough year. His former landlord ignored requests to make any improvements, and when the combination of exposed wires and flooding caused a blast that blew the doors off the hinges, Simon became homeless.

Simon recalls:  

I just turned in my keys and walked away. 

The local council told him he wasn’t a high enough priority to help, despite being born locally and having bi-polar disorder. And they claimed he became intentionally homeless, since he left the flat on his own accord.

With nowhere else to go, Simon slept wherever he could: on buses, in doorways and even in A&E waiting rooms. But the nomadic life started taking its toll. “I’m wiped out,” he told us on the eve of his first night staying in the Glass Door shelters.

 

Thanks to our expansion into Wandsworth in the winter of 2016, Simon found a safe, welcoming place in the Glass Door shelters for as long as he needs it this winter. Glass Door caseworker Boguslaw is working with him and feels hopeful that he'll be able to find a better long-term option off the street. Until then, Simon at least won't have to sleep in the A&E or on a night bus.