“I am treated as a person with value for once in my life.”
Charles moved into his flat in the Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate at the beginning of 2020. He’d been living in a bedsit where he slept on a sofa. Due to antisocial behaviour in the local area, he felt too afraid to leave his home.
“I suffer from severe mental health issues. Before I moved to the estate, my mental health was deteriorating and I tried to take my own life on a couple of occasions. My previous place was a bedsit, it only had room for a couch, which I slept on for six years. I didn’t feel safe to leave the flat as there was gang violence and drug dealers in the area.
“One day I got a visit from my community psychiatric nurse who told me about some new flats for people who have worked in the retail industry. Although I haven’t worked in retail myself my sister, who is my main carer, worked for B&M and Sports Direct.
“I was nearly in tears. I felt like I’d won the lottery and my mood lifted straight away.”
“The nurse contacted the estate manager and got a date for me to view a flat.
“I thought it would be a bedsit in another area with the same problems. When I saw the flat I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was nearly in tears. I felt like I’d won the lottery and my mood lifted straight away.
“The building wasn’t finished so I didn’t have a tenancy agreement or a date to move in but I was assured my name was on the flat. I phoned up every day to make sure it was still there for me. The support and reassurance I got from the team was fantastic, I was treated with respect and as a person with value for once in my life.
“Since moving to the Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate my mental health has improved. I still have times when I feel down and depressed but then I look around, see where I am living, and feel better. The staff are a great support to me, they stop by my flat to have a chat and see how I am doing which means a lot to me. I’ve never felt so safe and secure in my whole life.”
Charles,
Resident at the Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate
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