Supporting those who need it most

Another Place to Call HOME

Another Place to Call HOME

Mark* is our sixth service user to avail of the HOME Project, Mark* is a young male who suffers from left side paralysis and severe respiratory infections as a result of being born premature and also suffering from a stroke when he was a child. In addition he is a recovering from alcohol dependency syndrome. He acquired an NIHE flat. Unfortunately this one bedroom flat is upstairs and he was so desperate for his own accommodation and independence he didn’t think this through. Since signing his tenancy he has had numerous falls and has been unable to heat his flat without assistance because he must carry coal up the stairs. There is no central heating system in the flat. Mark* is determined to be as independent as possible and so his support worker has been liaising with NIHE to get central heating installed as soon as possible. Mark* is very motivated and was very keen to avail of the HOME project.

Mark* learned many skills; John began by showing him how to strip the wallpaper that was on his flat and how to prepare the walls, and these needed a lot of work as the flat was cold and damp. John showed Mark how to treat the damp and how to paint ceilings. This was very difficult given his condition but he refused to let it beat him. He remained hard at work painting and sanding floors for a week. Sue* was the female inspiration on this project advising on colour schemes and sharing her knowledge!

“I really enjoyed the HOME project, John was great and I feel I have learned enough to go ahead and finish the flat, there is still a lot to do but the money and support was a great help. I don’t know if I would wallpaper again, my walls needed it but it was hard work and very fiddly. I enjoyed sanding down the floorboards and treating the walls. If I don’t get central heating in soon I will be damp sealing the rest of the rooms!”

* Names have been changed