Case studies

He relapsed several times and was a regular visitor to A and E and the Royal Surrey Hospital where he ended up after trying to do away with himself.

He then was referred to SADAS and went into counselling and also joined the support group which he still attends. It's been a long hard struggle for him but he now has contact with his family has been sober for two years and still attends group. He volunteers and also works as a volunteer for the hospital.

He has now decided it is time for him to go back to paid work so he is actively looking and has taken up photography as a hobby and can often be seen around with his camera.

We were able to meet him and gradually built up a strong and trusting working relationship. We advocated on his behalf towards the council and engaged him with a solicitor for legal help and advice.

The council were very close to evicting him but with the help of Links and his solicitor they became open to the idea of moving him to resolve the current issues of noise nuisance and ASB as opposed to evicting him from his home.

In his case it was not that he was a bad tenant, he just needed help to make others understand and accept his particular housing needs.

Currently he is waiting to move into a lovely bungalow in a nice area where he can start afresh and no longer be depressed and anxious about the thought of becoming homeless.

Numerous short spells in prison for shoplifting, very vulnerable and lost his accommodation with the local authority as he was not able to stop others using his property, resulting in anti-social activity and eventually eviction. Was housed again with support from SAdAS, imprisoned again in 2008 and moved to a prison in Birmingham.

During this sentence he was served with an ASBO order stating he was not allowed into his local town centre. He thought he was told that he was not allowed back to his area so when released from Prison, he stayed on the streets in Birmingham. He was also informed that the Home Office had decided he no longer had leave to remain in this country. This meant that all his benefit being stopped and him loosing his accommodation with the Local Authority.

It took 8 days of constant searching via phone calls to all services which might have contact with him. Eventually a night shelter contacted us, agreed to hold him for the evening and we sent 2 members of staff to collect him as he was in no fit state to travel back on his own.

He was immediately taken to CMHT and accessed the local psychiatric ward where it took over 3 months to stabilize him. When released he was homeless, no access to public funding and didn't fit anyones criteria.

SAdAS, in partnership with CMHT accessed him into a local B&B where he was supported. For the next 2 years SAdAS assisted this client to access help to challenge his status with support from the Immigration Advisory Service in London.

His case was heard and was successful, benefits re-instated and moved into supported accommodation where he continues to receive the required support. During all this above, contact was made with some of his family that are spread throughout the world and he is soon to meet up with them for the first time since 1989.

His mental state is now stable and his alcohol consumption is minimal.

The individual presented as totally disconnected from his situation and could not provide accurate or consistent historical evidence to explain it. His own views and preferences focused on accommodation and work.

Concerns had been expressed by anecdotal references from criminal justice professionals with regards to his mental state. Similar concerns were raised by a forensic psychiatrist in a report obtained from the time of the individual's arrest. No follow-up psychiatric assessment was undertaken whilst the individual was serving his custodial sentence, despite it being mentioned in the forensic report and in a letter sent by Omni to the prison In-reach team.

Omni was present at court where the individual was released from custody. The court itself being unable to agree a suitable course of action, other than release to the support of Omni. Omni was therefore left, late on a Friday afternoon, with an individual with no accommodation, no extra clothes or possessions, no I.D, no money and no clue.

The individual's immediate need was to be found accommodation. The options, unfortunately, are limited. We eventually managed to get him into a night shelter and funded an initial two week stay.

During this period daily contact was made with the individual as it was deemed his vulnerability to be high and his ability limited. Other agency involvement was pursued and sources of information followed up in order to ascertain the relevant options for the individual's needs. This proved to be a protracted affair.

Later, due the individual's own view and preferences tending to be unrealistic and information from significant others being inconclusive and hindered by confidentiality (the individual wanted there to be no contact with his family). Other agency involvement focusing on stabilising his accommodation needs, obtaining benefits and psychiatric assessment encountered barriers of borough boundaries and agency acceptance of responsibilities.

After some considerable length of time, during which Omni continued to fund the individual's accommodation and daily living needs, DWP benefits were put in place and a homelessness team and an early intervention in psychosis team initiated additional support. Omni then became a conduit for communication. A role it is often required to adopt.

Omni takes on complex need individuals. By definition these cases do not have a straightforward way to an agreed course of action. In this instance, no 'body', not even magistrates could determine suitable achievable decisions. It fell to Omni to discern the appropriate options and attempt to coordinate them whilst maintaining engagement with the individual whose own preferred options and understanding were limited.

The young man is now in supported accommodation and receiving regular psychiatric treatment. His substance misuse has now ceased.

We dealt with debts through negotiation to realistic amounts, sometimes getting them cancelled altogether. Staved off the eviction by getting a substantial amount of Housing Benefit backdated, and all through this process worked extensively with the client to reduce the usage to the point of abstinence (her own target).

She re-enrolled at college and following weekend supervised child contact eventually regained full time custody of her daughter.

A little over a year after discharge we received a large envelope containing a really touching thank you letter for helping her turn her life around, and also a copy of a well known south coast music magazine containing her name in the title credits as picture editor.

His sister kept writing to the local MP stating that he never received any help, which couldn't have been further from the truth, and she feared he would die on the streets of Redhill. Politically my funders were keen for this to be avoided but were aware that he had burnt his bridges with LA housing providers due to many years of offending, custodials and ASB.

After being refused entry in to various wet houses and night shelters, due to reputation, we finally managed to get this man to realize that (and it sounds harsh) his circumstances were a direct result of his actions over many years. It really was a simple equation of "change your ways or die on the streets". Thankfully he responded positively enough for us to obtain an interview with a private landlord, with certain assurances given over the level of support he would receive, he was accepted.

He has reduced his drinking substantially, though abstinence was never an issue, hasn't re-offended and we have not received a single complaint regarding this client. All parties were satisfied and there was even a write up in the local newspaper.

This client was a proper "old lag" with chips on both shoulders and whether it was lucky timing I'm not sure but he showed glimmers that suggested he was fed up with 20 odd years spent inside during the last 25 and we hit it off.

The situation fluctuated many times during the next few months with some minor offending but no further custodials, stabilization on Subutex and little illicit class A use, and a 6 month trouble free period in private rented accommodation. We nominated him on to the DCIAG to highlight the progress he had made and all parties pulled together to agree that he would be offered an LA starter tenancy.

He has taken this opportunity and thrived, recently described as a model tenant, and has just got engaged. This is now the longest continuous period he has spent in the community since his teenage years.

Within a week we had arranged an interview with a private landlord but had no access to £700 for the deposit, this was non negotiable. The client was by now well known to the local vicar who used to drop him food parcels. We approached the vicar and explained the situation with a bit of a sob story approach and the next day he had the full amount in cash for the landlord.

It was a very surreal moment at the tenancy signing, client, landlord, me and a priest in full ecclesiastic regalia as he was on his way to a funeral! Good team work ensued, we referred on to Promote who helped him write and distribute a CV.

Within a matter of weeks he was abstinent and landed a very well paid engineering job.

On a personal level he had recently been released from prison, had a history of self harm, and was suffering from terrible depression. And in the midst of it all his girlfriend was expecting his first child!

Links were very concerned for his welfare but with so much "going on", we were aware we would have to work with one issue at a time, at a pace that Jack could manage. And we would have to prioritise our work, starting with trying to help him keep his home! One year later he is still in his flat.

The council are pleased as Jack pays a small amount of money towards getting rid of his arrears each week. Links helped him set up payments direct from his benefit, and it has been months since they had a complaint from a neighbour.

Jack has left his drinking behind him. Links put him in touch with counselling and he made good use of this opportunity. His girlfriend gave birth to a healthy happy baby boy, who Jack is immensely proud of.

Links worked alongside social services who were involved for a short while but they are now looking to close the case as they feel his son Freddie is being well looked after by two loving, responsible parents.

Instead of ignoring his letters and debts, with the support of Links he has the confidence to ring companies himself to set up payment plans. If he ever begins to feel depressed he knows his GP is available to help him.

Jack now spends his days actively seeking work and is interested in learning carpentry at college so he can earn more money. When he is not job hunting he can be found walking his dog, doing weight training at home and decorating his flat, and of course doting on his son.

Jane was too afraid to report these things to the police however so it was difficult for the council to help. Her health was very poor and the living conditions were terrible and making her health worse.

Links helped her apply for extra benefits for her poor health and this extra money gave her the ability to look for alternative private rented accommodation. For Jane her family and grand children were very important to her and she was very keen to stay in the area but her drinking was a real problem for her and something that she needed to look at.

Through regular meetings Links were able to sensitively talk to Jane and she began to see connections between her offending behaviour, her chaotic life style and her drinking. Finally she accepted that her priority needed to be to address her drinking.

Links put her in touch with Vaughan House. This is a unique place in Surrey where people can move in the staff will help people come off alcohol through a detox process but at the same time provide a safe and supportive environment where residents can get help with anything practical or emotional.

Today Jane is a happy and valued member of this community. She does not drink at all now. And gradually is working with the staff looking forward to independent living back in the area her family lives so she can be the grandmother she always wanted to be.