Lisa's Story

When Lisa had first contact with The Bridge she was 16 and experiencing homelessness following a relationship breakdown with family which included aggressive incidents. At the time Lisa was also supported by a Child Protection Plan as there were significant concerns of Child Sexual Exploitation.

Lisa’s life was incredibly chaotic, she was frequently going missing, sofa surfing in unsuitable properties across the country and refusing accommodation. She then moved out of the area with friends, though this rapidly broke down and she returned to Charnwood.

After several missed appointments, Lisa reengaged with the SAP. At this time, Lisa had become quite poorly, she had no income, had become involved in offending behaviours and had also been expelled from college for aggressive behaviour.

The priority at this point was to get Lisa into suitable accommodation. We liaised extensively with Lisa, her Social Worker, and the Child Sex Exploitation team, to establish what type of accommodation would be suitable.

We referred Lisa to a local accommodation project in which she was accepted and moved in soon after. Further to this, Lisa was supported to obtain an income, return to education and accessed independent living support.

Lisa has now lived at the project for six months. During this time Lisa has been supported via the Eviction Prevention Protocol on three occasions due to agreement breaches.

The Eviction Prevention Protocol is The Bridge’s multi-agency approach which takes identified steps to prevent eviction, support tenancy sustainment, and facilitate the journey towards stable, independent living.

Lisa’s missing episodes have significantly declined since she opened up to support and intervention. She is no longer offending and her Child Protection Plan has ceased. Lisa feels confident in identifying risk, avoiding potentially dangerous situations and reports that the relationship with her family is gradually strengthening.