Hello you wonderful people,
We hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine. We have had a few wonderful nominations come in over the last few weeks and we are always struck by the kindness you show to those you nominate by spotting their need and thinking of ways that we can help.We would be nothing without your kindness and your readiness to see the help that is needed. Thank you! This week’s nomination comes from Maisie and is to help a friend of hers who is supporting a family friend who has been struggling since the death of his mother.To ensure his safety we have anonymised this nomination but we’re sure you’ll join us in wishing him well in his new home and hoping that he can get the fresh start he needs. Here is Maisie’s nomination…Hello Jennifer, Joe and team,I’m writing with my first nomination, the circumstances of which I heard about on a FB group I am part of called Small Charity CEOs. L who herself runs a local charity for elderly people had contacted our group to ask for help to provision a gentleman with his first independent possessions and some furniture. See email below.It seems that C is a case of falling through the gaps of care providers with this stuff, and having worked with adults with learning difficulties I know how important having some autonomy and control over one’s possessions can be. L seems to be a very important person in his life. He’s also had a very difficult and trying time since the death of his mother and it looks like getting some help would mean the world.Please consider, and thank you so much for all you’re doing, you amazing people. Best wishes,MaisieFrom L:C is 59 years old and has Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has suffered years of abuse and neglect from his family. He has lived alone in what are now squalid conditions for five years since his mother went into care and then passed away. At times he has had no heating, hot water, fridge or washing machine. His disorder means that he struggles to maintain himself and his home without support, but none has been available since his mother passed away. He has simply slipped through the cracks and this was exasperated during Covid and lockdowns. He has sight impairment.He has, at last, been offered a studio flat in a supported living property and 30 hours of care support a week. He is really excited about being able to make a fresh start and enjoy the rest of his life. He currently lives in xxxx and will be moving to xxxx within the next few weeks. The downside to moving between two boroughs is that it looks extremely unlikely that he will be eligible for Local Welfare Assistance from either authority because he is moving from one and has not been resident in the other for more than six weeks nor does he have ties to the area. The new home offers the best accommodation for his needs which his current local authority cannot provide but bureaucracy and red tape mean there is unlikely to be funding to support his move.BUT, the new home is completely empty and he has no possessions, furniture or money.I provide C with support, advice and advocacy on a non-professional basis. His late mother and my late father were friends. After her husband passed away, and when my children were small, his late mother became an extra grandma to them. When her health deteriorated and dementia meant she could no longer live at home and care for C, I promised her I would look out for him and I have been ever since. Sadly she left no will and his family have been neglecting him and financially abusing him in her absence.I am asking for donations that we can use to create a beautiful new home for him. Just simple, basic things, that we all take for granted and which he simply does not have. This will include a bed, duvet and pillows, cooker, kettle, microwave, toaster, bedside table, wardrobe, sofa, dining table and 2 chairs, TV, crockery, cutlery, pots and pans, curtains, lamp and lampshade, bedlinen and towels.His personal appearance is very unkempt and he desperately also needs new clothes and shoes and I am hopeful that we will able to raise enough funds to help him buy new clothes too.I am particularly keen to ensure that he receives new items, because one of the things that he finds difficult with ASD is to use items that have belonged to someone else.All donations are hugely appreciated and will make an incredible difference to C’s life and help him maintain his dignity and independence.Thank you for your supportBest wishesL
Comments