P3 Charity's Acorn House: Tackling Substance Misuse in the Community

This Alcohol Awareness Week, we’re shining a spotlight on how P3 Charity’s Acorn House provides trauma-informed, personalised support for people experiencing alcohol dependency and homelessness. Based in Gloucestershire, Acorn House offers supported accommodation and tailored recovery pathways helping individuals rebuild their lives through holistic care, harm reduction and partnership with local alcohol and addiction recovery services. As part of P3’s commitment to tackling substance misuse in the community, Acorn House empowers people to take the first steps toward long-term recovery.

What is Alcohol Awareness Week?

This week at P3 Charity, we’re marking Alcohol Awareness Week, shining a spotlight on how we tackle substance misuse in local communities by offering tailored support to the people we work alongside. Though awareness for substance misuse is something we champion year-round, Alcohol Awareness Week presents a powerful opportunity to have honest conversations around an issue that is often misunderstood and stigmatised. As said by Alcohol Change UK, the UK’s leading alcohol charity, we believe that everybody has the right to “high-quality support whenever we need it, without shame or stigma.”

For us at P3, we want to centre this discussion on recognising the challenges of substance misuse, but more importantly, on encouraging those who need support to reach out. With this year’s awareness week as Alcohol and Work, we’re exploring how alcohol misuse intersects with our work in the homelessness sector. As both a cause and a consequence of homelessness, substance misuse frequently comes up in our work. Even when our services are not specifically funded to address substance misuse, our frontline support workers routinely step in to provide holistic, trauma-informed care.

This week, we’re talking to our colleagues at Acorn House –a supported accommodation service in Gloucestershire that specialises in recovery support for people experiencing substance misuse. We’ll be learning about how they empower people in the local community, how to recognise the early signs of alcohol dependence and what types of alcohol and addiction recovery support are available.

What is Acorn House?

Acorn House is a P3 Charity project that supports individuals on their recovery journey in Gloucestershire, providing a safe and supportive environment for people to address their relationship with alcohol or other substances. Trained and dedicated P3 staff deliver specialist interventions, signpost to services such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and help people build long-term recovery strategies.

Based in the Forest of Dean, Acorn House provides Recovery Pathway services alongside supported accommodation for people experiencing homelessness, particularly those facing alcohol dependency or struggling with substance misuse. With self-contained flats, 24/7 staffing, and a trauma-informed approach, Acorn House offers a safe space to begin the journey to recovery. The team works in partnership with local services and national rehabilitation programmes to ensure that each person receives holistic, tailored support. Acorn House offers Recovery Pathways that are personalised to everyone it supports, exploring the connections between trauma, addiction and homelessness. Each pathway prepares a person for their recovery journey, helping them develop routines and coping strategies they can take into rehab and beyond.

Speaking with Skye, Intensive Housing Management Worker for Acorn House, she said that “many of our residents have lost housing due to their substance use, but for some, the addiction came after becoming homeless.”

Working closely with local drug and alcohol services, the team helps individuals obtain up-to-date identification and meet the criteria for external support, such as residential rehabilitation. This includes supporting residents to attend AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings ahead of more intensive treatment, helping them adapt to a life in recovery. The team also offers practical assistance, such as transport to appointments and group meetings, to make vital services more accessible. For Acorn House, Alcohol Awareness Week is every week – the heart of their support is helping people understand their addictions and what options are available to help them overcome it.

Skye says, “We’re in a unique position because we support only 11 people, so we can develop a deep understanding of their needs. Our work starts by having open conversations about alcohol dependency and giving people the tools to begin recognising their own addiction.”

This is emphasised by a lifted ban on alcohol, allowing residents at Acorn House to drink in their own space. Although this approach may seem controversial in traditional substance misuse settings, the team at Acorn House believes it keeps residents safe, reduces anti-social behaviour and, most importantly, builds trust between residents and staff. It also enables staff to gain a clearer picture of each resident’s drinking habits, enabling them to guide individuals towards safer habits or gradual reduction in alcohol consumption as a stepping stone into rehab. Trust is often a barrier when people are seeking support; not just trust in the system but trust in themselves. By using a support model that starts with an individual’s own awareness of their drinking, residents are empowered to make their own choices and take ownership of their recovery.

Once an individual is committed to their recovery pathway, the goal is for them to attend an intensive residential programme. Acorn House keeps their room allocated to them during this time, removing the fear of having nowhere to live upon leaving treatment. Knowing they have stable accommodation makes a significant difference, enabling people to fully trust the process and invest in their future.

Leigham’s Story

One person who benefitted from Acorn House’s support is Leigham, now a long-term volunteer at P3 whose journey is nothing short of inspirational.

As a teenager, Leigham found himself in the wrong crowd. From partying to rebelling, alcohol was a constant in his life. Forced to leave home due to increasingly difficult behaviour, he moved into what he describes as a ‘party house’ and things quickly spiralled. Eventually, with nowhere else to go, Leigham became homeless. That’s when he found the Acorn House team, who offered him a place to stay and gently pointed out his drinking habits.

Leigham said: “The team at Acorn worked alongside me for a long time. They were so patient and so helpful. They noticed I had a drink problem and they introduced me to AA. They knew what I needed before I knew, and that was crucial.”

Following a carefully planned recovery pathway, Leigham took the steps needed to access rehab, where he was able to address the root causes of his alcohol use, understand his triggers and develop coping mechanisms for the future. Now sober for two years, Leigham reflects on one of the most daunting moments of his recovery: nearly turning down the opportunity of being the best man at a friend’s wedding due to the difficulty of being around people socially drinking. Leigham feared the environment might trigger a relapse, but thanks to the resilience he’s built and the ongoing community support around him, Leigham was able to navigate the day and celebrate without compromise.

“[P3] taught me to always have a back-up plan – someone to call, somewhere to go or something to do if it all becomes too much.”

Today, Leigham is confidently living a substance-free life and uses his experience to support others facing similar challenges.

You can read Skye’s full interview here.

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