Jessica's Story.

Running from the harassment of her ex-partner’s family, Jessica* couldn’t take it anymore. Staring at her kids, breaking her windows, verbally abusing her neighbours and attacking her car was just part of the trouble.

After their break-up, he moved in with his family just round the corner from Jessica and her children. This enabled them to harass her every day, she recalls ‘constantly having to get the police out. We had to leave – my daughters were scared to be in that home!’

She went to stay with some family, but it wasn’t a long-term solution, there wasn’t much room at all. A friend recommended P3, and though there were no available accommodation options on that day – within a few weeks Jessica’s support worker offered it to her and her family:

Jessica’s support worker recommended that rather than moving in straight away, she should wait until payday. This way, she’d have money to move in with. She confesses, ‘I’ve never heard of that before – but it was brilliant!’

Over the next few weeks, Jessica was supported in setting up her rent, getting things ready and eventually moving in. Before P3, she said the biggest difficulty in finding somewhere new was that people looked at the track record of her rent, before her situation.

Once her partner left, she fell into bad rent arrears as he didn’t abide by the arrangements she’d made with him prior to moving out. Jessica thought rent was being paid, when it actually wasn’t – contributing to a backlog in missed payments. With the house in her name, getting rehoused was very difficult as she couldn’t get a guarantor.

Jessica says that P3 truly understood her situation, and were able to help her find a permanent home. Her support worker, Rachel, is central to continuing this sense of understanding. For both her personal wellbeing and for maintenance issues – ‘all I have to do is let her know and within a couple of days its sorted.’

She can’t believe the difference this stability has made to her life; the most impactful change has been how much happier she feels. Being able to talk to Rachel has meant she has someone she can trust to share her worries with.

This has given her a foundation to improve her mental health, the harassment and the interim of homelessness led her into a state of anxiety and depression. Something that has been remedied with a place to call home.

With P3 support, Jessica and her family have a stable future ahead, including getting her children therapy for the turmoil they experienced at such a young age. Jessica says ‘I don’t know what would have happened if I’d stayed in my old place’ – and now, one thing is certain, her future looks bright.