Connected

What was the challenge?

Following the death of his father, Michael began to abuse alcohol. Michael’s life began to spiral out of control – he lost his job, marriage and children. The situation became worse once his wife took her own life. With nowhere to go, Michael stopped washing, shaving and eating and began rough sleeping.

How did Concrete help?

Michael was referred to Concrete while he was living at a homeless shelter.

Michael moved to our Vitoria Place scheme, and would often sit alone in his flat in complete silence – only leaving to buy more alcohol.

As Michael had lost so much, we recognised that Michael would need a lot of support and time to take the next steps on his journey. Once he felt he could trust our team, he was ready for our help. We helped Michael to gain mental health support and counselling, as well as registering him with a local GP, where he could get medication and support to help him overcome his alcohol addiction.

His wellbeing and mental health now improving, Michael felt ready to begin volunteering and take part in training opportunities to improve his job prospects.

What was the impact?

Michael now lives independently in his own flat and is 14 months alcohol free. His mental health has vastly improved and he is now in touch with his family.