Mel

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mel lost the tenancy of her pub and with it her home.

Mel had worked all her life, after joining the army aged 17 and serving in Northern Ireland. She was a publican for more than a decade, until Covid-19 closed the pub doors in 2020. Feeling lonely and isolated, Mel turned to alcohol to help her through the pandemic.

When the drinking took hold, Mel lost the tenancy of her pub and with it her home. She was forced to sleep on friends’ sofas and floors and even had to give up her cat, Little Miss.

Mel needed help so she referred herself to our drug and alcohol service and, with shaking hands, signed the paperwork to begin her recovery journey.

Mel urgently needed a home, so her support worker Andy referred her to our Housing Management Team who found her a flat – a new home for Mel and Little Miss.

Then one of our employment services found Mel some volunteering roles. This gave Mel the confidence to successfully apply for paid work supporting people in mental health crisis.

Mel has worked extremely hard to overcome the challenges she was facing in a short space of time and with our help, she is looking forward to a better, brighter future.