At 45-years-old, Filipe is a self-employed groundworker from London who has worked in the industry for over ten years. He was sleeping rough under a tunnel in the harsh cold of winter without food or adequate clothing. Out of work, hungry, and battling a heroin addiction, Filipe felt that everywhere he turned, no-one would help. Despite having the right the work, he was caught in a vicious circle due to his ‘status’ and told by other organisations that he could not access any support or benefits.
As a non-UK resident, he was experiencing unconscious bias as he tried to better his situation, and he felt lost and alone. He had heard about the Lighthouse Charity from his previous site and although he was embarrassed, he finally made the decision to seek help.
Once he’d contacted us, Filipe was assigned a caseworker who immediately arranged for a food voucher to be sent to him. Our caseworker contacted Streetlink, an organisation connecting people sleeping rough to local services, and worked closely with them to get him into supported housing. In the meantime, she sent him Morrisons vouchers for some warm clothes, as the temperature was going below 0°c.
Filipe had been told time and again that he had an ‘unknown status’, which meant he couldn’t seek access to public funds. Our caseworker worked tirelessly to prove he not only had the right to work, but the document also clearly stated he could seek housing support and benefits. She also started job searches on his behalf.
Armed with this new information, and with emergency supported housing in place and a referral for counselling, Filipe could finally start to rebuild his life. He started a Methadone treatment programme and is slowly recovering from his addiction. With our support Filipe applied again for benefits and recently informed us that his application for Universal Credit had been approved. He is delighted and so grateful for our support. “I want to thank Lighthouse for the sincere care and attention they put into my case, even when no-one else would listen. You were the only organisation that took the time to talk to me and not just take one look and say sorry, we can’t help, My caseworker’s support and motivational words have kept me going when I had lost all hope, thank you”.
