Dawn has gone through an incredibly tragic loss - she lost her partner very suddenly and unexpectedly when he passed away in his sleep. Prior to her partner passing she had never managed a tenancy before, as they always did things together. She took over the tenancy but had no experience of managing it without her partner, so fell into rent arrears. She did not want to deal with money worries on top of the loss of her partner. 

However, she was determined to keep herself afloat and has gained the confidence to manage the tenancy, her money and repay the arrears whilst dealing with her loss. 

Both Dawn and her 8-year-old daughter are having counselling to try come to terms with the loss of their partner and parent, something that they will never really get over. Being widowed before she was even 40 has been a huge shock and Dawn has found help through the peer support group WAY (Widowed and Young) from people who sadly find themselves in the same situation. Because Dawn was not married, she is not eligible for any of the bereavement support payments from the government despite being in a relationship that lasted 20 years and having a child together. 

 After going through such tragedy, this customer has shown her strength and determination and has now completed a teacher assistant training course with flying colours. She is also now working on a qualification in children’s mental health. She is waiting to volunteer in a school to gain the experience needed to secure future employment. She is determined to succeed and will keep working hard to meet her goals so that she can provide a better life for her little girl.  

Joan first came to Orbit when she was in a very low place in her life. Her children had been removed from her following a controlling, abusive marriage for their own safety and she almost lost the will to carry on after going through a string of awful events.

By working with Social Services, local mental health teams and engaging in coaching sessions with Orbits tenancy sustainment team she has turned this around.

She now has her children back full time and is doing voluntary work with Home Start. Joan is hoping to use her experiences to give back to others so she can share her experiences to let others know there is always hope if you try. She is passionate about her need to give back to her community in this way and is very determined to succeed in helping others.

Alex was caring for his mum before she sadly passed away last year. He had previously been in the Armed Forces and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was drinking heavily, and his life was unmanageable, he had never managed a tenancy before as he lived with his mum who took care of it. When she died, he took over the tenancy and needed to get his life back on track.

He started to attend regular Alcoholic Anonymous meetings to try and turn his life around. Coaching was given through Orbit’s tenancy sustainment team on managing his money and his tenancy.

Alex got involved with volunteering with local charities in Nuneaton, which provided him support with his wellbeing and confidence. Alex had previously worked in security and was interested in going back into this line of work. A Go Getting grant was awarded to renew their Security Authority Industry card and a Super Surfer grant helped get him online and provided a device.  He started volunteering as  security at local Covid-19 vaccination centres, this lead to him securing employment in security at his local racecourse which he is enjoying and gives him some routine and ‘a reason to get up each morning’. This young man has really turned his life around in such a short time. He is no longer drinking, he is managing his money, maintaining his home, and working full time.

Olivia’s family dealt with physical and mental domestic abuse for 18 months, then moved from hostel to hostel over two years. When her mother was offered housing for the family there was no room for Olivia to move in, so she was offered accommodation through Orbit.

Olivia is now 19 years old; this is her first tenancy and she has engaged well with Orbits tenancy job coach. She was referred to Breathing Space for support for the trauma she has experienced.

Olivia and her job coach worked together on understanding her tenancy and completed coaching sessions ‘Keys to a Successful Tenancy’ modules, so she now knows how her tenancy works and the support Orbit can offer at any time. Her Orbit coach referred her to Orbits JAM (Just about Managing – which is a budgeting service to help them to learn budgeting skills) and then applied for a Super Surfer grant.

Olivia completed coaching modules to prepare her for employment and has engaged every step of the way, working through her initial fear of living on her own and with her coach’s support, has now gained employment in a warehouse. Through all the trauma of moving, violence and mixed schooling she has been resilient and hard-working, has shown a strong commitment to healing and having a better life and with Orbits help she has succeeded.