Claire moves into her own tenancy

Some young people we support move on to their own place within around two years, while other young people, like Claire, have more of a journey with the service before they are ready to take the big step into their own place. This is Claire’s story in her own words.

“Before I came to Quarriers, I was staying at a project for homeless young people. I had struggles with my mental health and workers were saying I was jeopardising my place because I had become destructive: kicking holes in walls, setting off fire alarms and becoming disruptive to the whole building. So then I was referred to WHAT IF Female.

“When I first came, I rarely stayed in my flat or went to the project base. Due to the persistence of staff and the community, I began to engage more. We would do activities for events coming up: decorate the lounge area for the likes of Rabbie Burns, Halloween and Christmas.

“After a couple of years, the project moved area to the east end. At first I wasn’t sure about moving flats, but his was a good move for me in many ways. However, my struggles with my mental health meant I started putting myself at greater risk of harming myself. I had times when I just didn’t want to be here. It was like I had been on a rollercoaster.

” I began to learn that success is the rollercoaster: you go up and down, but it doesn’t stay the same for any period of time. Quarriers supported me through my mental health struggles: whether it was over the phone, in hospital or up at my flat, the support was there when I needed it. Even at nighttime, I could call staff and get support out of hours.

“My flat was near the project base, which is in the Calvay Centre. When we first moved, there was a lounge area for young people to use, but it needed decorated. I pulled together options for colours to paint the lounge and we (the young people) picked our favourite. I had so much fun choosing the colours and got involved in painting it. It looks great now!

“I then began to engage in the community and became a volunteer within the Calvay Centre, helping out with events for groups of children, elderly people and families. I have kept this up since I moved. I have always had a limited circle of friends, but I have sought out a friend through volunteering. Her name is Alison and she is older than me, but that doesn’t matter: staff have told me many times that I ‘have an auld soul’.

“And then, staff started talking to me about moving to my own tenancy! Well now, that was a different ball game. I kept saying ‘I’m not ready for this!’ but staff were consistent in saying I was. I was not amused at this information.

Coming to the project base during the day to break up my time was my norm now and staff were looking to take this away from me! But as the process moved on (we did talk about it for about 18 months), I became more up for this change. I began engaging with the process of moving on: identifying where I would like to live in my own tenancy and thinking about what furniture I would buy for it.

“I was offered a two-bedroom house with a front and back garden in the east end, which I am over the moon about. I’ll also be getting support from Turning Point who’ll take over from WHAT IF, so I’m not being left on my own like I feared. Tonight is my first night staying in my new house and I’m excited, anxious, and a bit of everything, really.

“I will miss WHAT IF but I know I can call anytime and staff will be there to help. I know I can always visit again for a cup of tea and chat. Things won’t be the same anymore, but that’s okay… they can get better!”

Mags McCallion, Project Manager at WHAT IF Female, notes that since Claire wrote this in December, she has now fully moved into her new tenancy, and it looks amazing and cosy with Claire’s trademark sparkles everywhere. We wish Claire all the best in her new home.