Frank* case study

* not his real name, and some details have been changed

Village Works is so much more than helping people find work!

Frank first joined Village Works in June 2020 after he made contact with Cornwall Council’s discretionary team.  He wanted help with  looking for affordable housing as well as support to navigate the  seemingly complex housing systems in Cornwall.  With the help of the Village Works team, Frank finally moved in to his new flat in November 2021!

As we know, having a safe, secure roof over our head is vital for us to be able to make the right, onward steps towards a happy and fulfilled existence.

Frank is originally from Yorkshire, and visited Cornwall on family holidays with his mum and family when he was younger. His sister eventually moved down to the Penzance area, while Frank remained in Yorkshire, eventually moving into his mother’s house as her carer. When she died in 2003, he used his half of the inheritance to buy a camper van, and moved to Cornwall. He made a life for himself here, and over the years, lived in a series of caravans. Often the reason for changing to a different van, or a different site, was mice and rats getting in the vans. However he found it hard to get the support he was entitled to, in order to move to a bricks-and-mortar home.

As Frank is now past retirement age, he didn’t want to be living in another infested caravan, so he attempted, once again, to get a place in a housing association property. He had been involved with Village Works for a while, and Andrew, the Village Works Coach, was finally able to advocate on his behalf in order to find him a place via Coastline Housing.

Frank is convinced that the place he was offered is ‘meant to be’ due to the door number being a significant number in his mum’s life!

The only thing Frank needed for his new flat was a gas cooker, which was arranged by Village Works accessing funds from the COVID-19 Housing Grant.

The support offered by Village Works was mainly to do with understanding the housing system and chasing housing providers, and encouraging Frank to take the initiative around the things that he needed. Support like that, when he needed it most, has made a huge difference to Frank who says that he loves living in his new flat, and has made new friends, and is at last enjoying his retirement.

Frank continues to volunteer at a local business, to keep his hand in.

Village Works and Inclusion Cornwall will continue to support Frank to ensure that he is accessing the assistance he needs.