“Pete came to us six months ago after being homeless for a long time,” says his support worker, Jayne, “and so he wasn’t used to sleeping inside.

“He did really well to adjust to it, but when lockdown came in, he started to get bored, which was doing him no good at all, which is why we applied to the Empowerment Fund to get some money on his behalf.”

Forty-nine-year-old Pete’s story is, sadly, not unusual. Having lived with his mother in her rented home for years, Pete was evicted after she died because his name was not listed on the tenancy.

This meant, in the eyes of bureaucracy, he had no legal right to call the house home and so he had to leave.

Pete was living in Derbyshire at the time and decided to relocate to Burton because, having worked there in the past, he felt he knew the town well enough to be able to find places to sleep rough.

And sleep rough he did, bedding down under railway arches and in a disused factory until one morning when, having got drenched during the night, he decided to seek help.

Previously, he had shied away from seeking help because he did not want to live in close proximity to other men in a homeless hostel and so he stayed out of reach and in limbo, not even claiming universal credit.

On moving into his Derventio Housing Trust property, Pete began to claim the benefits that he is entitled to, which he saved so that he could buy himself a mobile phone and a tablet, on which he uploaded books to read.

During lockdown, this wasn’t enough to keep him occupied, so Jayne applied to the empowerment fund for some money and, £239.89 later, he became the proud owner of a brand new TV and DVD.

“There is no way that Pete could have afforded them out of his own money and they’ve made a huge difference,” Jayne says.

“Pete hadn’t watched any TV for three years and so his television is helping him to get back in touch with society. He’s becoming more chatty and is now talking about what he wants to do in the future, such as getting a new driving licence and accessing some courses.

“He’s definitely heading in the right direction and the TV and DVD have definitely been good for him.”

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