One of our promises is “we never close a case until the client asks us to”. Lorraine is a very good example of what this means. When Lorraine first approached us in 2010 life was very difficult. She was living in a small upstairs flat in Clackmannanshire with two teenage daughters and toddler Emma who is visually impaired and uses a wheelchair. Lorraine developed severe back problems as a result of carrying her up and down stairs several times a day. Emma’s equipment took up almost all of the space, and her noise issues made it impossible for the family to relax or study.
It was at this point that Lorraine started to look into other choices and stumbled onto Housing Options Scotland. With the help of our team she was able to explore new paths and eventually became an Access Ownership sharing owner with Link Housing. Thanks to Access Ownership Lorraine was able to buy a share in a lovely home in the same small town. She owns a share of the property and pays an occupancy charge for the share owned by the housing association.
During the time when the complex deals were being finalised, Lorraine was struggling to find a free moment to email. She sometimes had to wait until Emma had fallen asleep to contact us. Rather than waiting until the morning; her replies would come minutes later.
“You can tell HOS are passionate about their work. It makes a real difference.”
In particular, HOS helped navigate her through council legislation, finding a way for Lorraine to live in her new home for six months while she was still selling her old flat.
However, even after taking ownership and moving in there was still a lot of work to do. Renovations and modifications had to be made all over the house: in particular Emma’s new room had to be constructed, and the entrance corridor had to be rebuilt, and a ramp had to be made outside to allow her easy access. Every step of the way was difficult: getting a hoist for Emma was a whole campaign in itself, applying for grants became more difficult when key staff left halfway through the process. HOS stayed in touch with Lorraine during this time, offering her practical and emotional support.
Lorraine’s journey to the “Right House, in the Right Place” has now come to a happy conclusion. She has safe and secure accommodation which suits the whole family.
Let’s leave the last word to Lorraine.
“I dread to think where we would be without your intervention. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”