Alan's Story

When we first met Alan* in January 2024, he was sleeping in his car and all of his belongings could fit in the boot of his car: a blanket, a stash of clothes and minimal spare supplies. Alan wanted a home, work and help with his drug use, but after years of rough-sleeping, he had learnt to expect doors to close. P3 Charity’s street outreach team recognised that it was important to be open, honest and transparent with Alan, not overpromising and ensuring we deliver what we said. They worried that if we let him down, he might not seek help again.

The team started with practical things that could make the biggest impact quickly, such as registering him for benefits, supplying him with a new phone and credit so he could be reached, giving him travel tickets to get to appointments and food vouchers to stop him losing weight. They linked him with specialist substance-use support and, crucially, kept showing up, undertaking regular wellbeing visits that built trust when everything else felt unstable.

Early progress looked hopeful when we secured Alan a place in settled shared accommodation and secured the paperwork to rejoin the housing register. But Alan’s past experiences made him feel unsafe in shared housing, and he returned to rough sleeping. As a result, his health and confidence dipped and his drug use increased under the pressure. That setback might have been the end of the story. Instead, it became the point where persistence mattered most.

Alan’s P3 support worker moved between outreach and casework, taking up his case with the council, pushing for a re-assessment of his HomeLink priority, accompanying him to viewings and helping him move into hostel accommodation that he felt comfortable with. Month by month, the small supports added up: help with benefit applications, advocacy with housing officers, practical items to furnish a room and ongoing encouragement to engage with recovery services.

After months in the hostel, those pieces came together. Alan was offered a one-bed flat through HomeLink. P3 staff were with him when he signed the tenancy — an emotional moment that marked a turning point. Since moving in, Alan reports he sleeps properly for the first time in years, is eating better, has reduced his drug intake to what he calls “almost abstinent”, has reconnected with his daughter and is actively seeking long-term work, with short periods of paid work already behind him.

Alan’s journey shows how outreach that combines practical help, consistent contact and determined advocacy can turn crisis into sustained stability. It isn’t a single intervention, but the insistence on staying with someone through setbacks that makes the difference.

*Name changed and stock image used to protect identity