After talking to our residents and hearing all about how our services has offered safe and secure homes when it was needed most, our campaign sets out to encourage others to talk about how supported housing has been life-changing for them too.
The campaign (#LetsTalkSH) will bring together a number of supported housing residents and colleagues to share their stories.
Braedon Haigh, who desperately needed a home at 16-years-old, is delighted with our commitment to raise the profile of supported housing.
Now 18-years-old, LiveWest resident Braedon, said: “I think it’s absolutely brilliant that LiveWest has supported housing because at the end of the day, I would have nowhere to go if there wasn’t anything.
“Supported housing is massively important. So many people, especially around my sort of age and younger, go through situations where they could end up in similar situations to what I have.
“The more people understand supported housing, the more support they can get.
“Before coming here, I didn’t know anything about supported housing. I briefly heard about it from one of my mates that I went to college with but except for that, I barely knew it existed before I worked with social [services] to move out.”
The supported housing services available for young people and young parents at LiveWest offers emergency long-stay accommodation across the South West for 16 to 25-year-olds.
Our schemes help young people, parents and families on their way to independent living by helping them with managing finances, applying for financial support, education, finding a job, cooking, cleaning, counselling and much more.
Samara Oldfield, a 17-year-old young mum and resident who lives with her nine-month-old daughter Rozie-Mae, said: “I feel that LiveWest, offering places like these, gives people more opportunities to start and provides them with more of a chance.
“It’s useful for young people, and it just gives them an opportunity to live and experience without having all the troubles.
“It gives you more of an opportunity and I feel there’s not many places that will offer you to live with your child. With young parents, because that’s what we all are, it’s really useful to have an opportunity to meet other young parents but also live with them."
As well as young people’s services, we also provides services to older people, people with learning disabilities, adults and families, and services provided by other organisations in its properties.
Delcie Taylor, 94, reflects on her time at Devonport Views, she said: “Everything here runs very well so I’m a very, very lucky person. I’ve got a lovely sister, and I had a great husband and I have a lovely family too. We stick together and all my aunties and uncles come and visit me.
“I’m not a worry to my family because I’m looked after here and if I’m poorly then staff try to make it better.”
“LiveWest has been supportive by helping me in lots of ways with my lifestyle. Without this scheme, I don’t think I would be as happy. I feel there would be something missing so that’s why I’m so content here.”
Excited to launch the campaign and hear the stories of its residents across the region, David Davies, Head of Supported Housing at LiveWest, says: “It’s so important to be able to share the voices and stories of our supported housing customers.
“This campaign really emphasises the value of these services as more customers can talk about their experiences and reflect on how supported housing has helped them on their journey.
“At LiveWest, we have over 200 colleagues in our Supported Housing team providing high-quality support to around 1,800 supported housing residents.”
