Allan came to Acorn Recovery Projects immediately following a 14-day detox, leaving behind, in his own words, ‘a right s*** tip’. There were empty wine bottles all over flat and Allan was concerned about returning to his flat in Morecombe after treatment. This was playing heavily on Allan’s mind and he mentioned it to his housing support worker at his care plan review. As a result, she suggested a trip home to clean it up and erase the evidence of his previous lifestyle.
Upon coming into treatment, my home had become a mess. To be honest, it was nothing short of despicable. Bottles were strewn everywhere, bin bags all over the floors, cupboards stuffed to the brink. That was only part of it, the fridge and kitchen were almost a living organism. This made me feel like I didn’t want to go back home at all. So I spoke about it to my housing support worker, Jane in my care plan review and mentioned how badly it was affecting me emotionally. We agreed that I needed help with this if I were to even consider going back.
Although I wasn’t looking forward to it, myself and Jane went down and began to clear the carnage. It quickly dawned on me just how much having it hanging over me had been distressing me. However, after a day of hard work, it was like having my home back. Once it was sorted out, I remembered why I call it HOME! No more feeling like a vagrant. I’m truly thankful for this and feel a lot more confident to take my next in step in recovery. It also helped me learn to ask for help, something I often struggle with.
It was also brilliant to get the opportunity to sort my paperwork out, another issue that was seriously bothering me. I am extremely thankful to Mark for walking me through it.
Between Jane and Mark, I can leave Acorn with a real sense of security. Their support means a great deal to me and my recovery.I’m truly thankful
Allan Maloney
I could see how much Allan’s flat was on his mind and how returning to a flat full of empty wine bottles straight after treatment would not be good for his recovery. So I was given the go-ahead from my manager to make the 100-mile round trip to his flat and we went that week. It took all day to give the flat a de-clutter and a good clean. Between myself and Allan we got his flat back to looking like a home again. Over the course of the day, the difference I saw in Allan was amazing. From him being anxious in the car on the way to the massive smile on his face at the end result.
Jane Grice, Housing Support Worker
