"It all started when my housing officer came to visit me to look at my property. I was initially annoyed that someone had reported me as I have always been on the defensive with authority.
My social worker and housing officer arranged for two very helpful support workers to visit me. It started with four tons of rubbish being removed from my house and garage.
I was keeping bits and pieces as I was hoping to do a car-boot sale, but my illness stopped me. My son kept his collection of Arsenal FC and Doctor Who memorabilia and now has them on display in his room.
After the house was cleared, DCHA arranged cleaning and a bit of decorating. That made a fantastic difference as the house was fresh and clean looking. I got a new sofa, two new beds and a TV stand from the Jigsaw Project and I bought a new cooker, kettle, saucepans, cutlery and plates for the kitchen.
Finally, DCHA arranged for a stair lift to be fitted and I can go up and down the stairs and use my own bedroom again, something I have not done for two years.
I am waiting for new carpets to be fitted and then when I can I will be buying curtains and curtain poles. I plan to keep the property in good condition. I see my support workers every two to three weeks to see if I need anything but I am definitely not going back to where I was before. This has been fantastic and I did not expect this. I feel much happier now the property is like it is, it has made a great difference and I do feel much better. It’s good that DCHA do this."
Terry, a DCHA resident in North Devon
This work was funded by Supporting People, the Jigsaw recycled furniture project, and DCHA
