{"id":13756,"date":"2026-07-06T19:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T18:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/?page_id=13756"},"modified":"2026-07-06T19:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T18:57:13","slug":"andy-was-capped-then-priceless-support-helps-him-turn-his-life-around","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/?page_id=13756","title":{"rendered":"Andy was capped\u2026 then priceless support helps him turn his life around"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A case study from Melville<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Andy has been a Melville tenant since 2019 and lives alone in a one-bed cottage-style flat. His gas had been capped and he had refused to engage with our support services since 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2023, we were contacted by a social worker at Dalkeith Job Centre. He was working with Andy who had reported difficulty managing his tenancy after losing his job. Andy has always struggled with daily life and, while<\/p>\n\n\n\n

never diagnosed, suspects he may have autism and ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He previously worked as a support worker for people with ASD. Although he could support others, he found his life unmanageable and his mental health and work declined under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initial intervention <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A joint visit was carried out with the duty social worker and housing officer. Andy was distressed and reported ongoing difficulty managing his home. He engaged initially, but no allocated social worker was in place until May 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"TextWhile awaiting help from social work, CHAI\u2019s Tenancy Support Service got involved, organising GP registration, basic cleaning supplies and bin bags and ongoing encouragement to engage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With funding from Melville\u2019s Tenancy Sustainment Fund, a professional cleaning company was employed. In just one day they removed around 30 bags of waste and completed a full deep clean. Before and after photos are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, Andy was allocated a social worker and a support plan was agreed, however he quickly became frustrated, feeling that actions were not delivered, particularly around historic council tax debt. When recovery action started, he lost trust in Social Work and disengaged. The case was closed and he refused re-referral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melville support<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the clean, Andy allowed access for essential maintenance, including the un-capping and servicing of his gas boiler for the first time in three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also engaged with Welfare and Benefits Advisers and successfully applied for Adult Disability Payment, significantly increasing his income and improving financial stability. Previously, he often ran out of money within a week of payment and relied on foodbanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he was reluctant to take up budgeting support, Andy accepted a donated fridge freezer to replace his much smaller unit. With this and increased income, he began cooking and freezing meals, which he welcomed as a positive new routine that improved both his diet and money management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further support included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • A simple cleaning task list displayed in his kitchen to help with daily routines\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A successful Community Care Grant application for a bed, mattress, and sofa<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A referral to CAPS for mental health and neurodevelopmental support, though they were unable to provide ongoing input after 12 weeks\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Andy later self-referred to Number 11, a social health hub in Dalkeith, where he responded positively. He has completed ADHD and ASD assessment forms and is now exploring further support and longer-term planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Brighter future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Andy is now maintaining his tenancy and engaging well with support services. He values regular three-monthly check-in visits, which he says help keep him motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At a recent visit, Andy said he is considering volunteering as a first step towards part-time work. He feels more in control of his home and daily life and continues to enjoy cooking and meal planning. He proudly showed his clean fridge and prepared meals as signs of his progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over the past year and a half, Andy has made incredible progress. From being badly disengaged and struggling to cope, he is now sustaining his tenancy, engaging with support, and looking ahead positively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    His case demonstrates the value of consistent, person-centred support and coordinated tenancy sustainment work. Andy has said he would not be where he is today without the help he received from Melville and partner organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A case study from Melville Andy has been a Melville tenant since 2019 and lives alone in a one-bed cottage-style flat. His gas had been capped and he had refused […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13756","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13757,"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13756\/revisions\/13757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scottishhousingday.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}