N first visited Doorway in September 2009, following his home being repossessed.

In August 2008 he suffered an undiagnosed nervous breakdown which caused him to give up his job. He couldn't meet his financial commitments such as mortgage payments and bills and turned to alcohol instead of acknowledging the situation he was in.

He ignored these problems for a year until his house was repossessed on the 1st September 2009. This forced him into seeking medical help and contacting the Wiltshire housing team. They signposted N to Doorway but it took him a few weeks to build up the courage to visit us, as he was so removed from the world of homelessness.

Within 2 months N was living in a moving on flat at the newly opened local hostel, Unity House, with a support worker. He comments 'I know very well that I would not be at Unity House without Doorway's referral.'

As well as helping N get rehoused Doorway provides follow up support which is very important to him. He wrote about his time at Doorway 'As you can imagine, it has been a fairly difficult period of readjustment for me. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that I would not be where I am in my life today without the motivation, encouragement and direct, honest “warts and all” advice that you have given me.'

The community atmosphere at Doorway has impressed N and he comments that the team seem more like friends than support workers. He said 'I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for...giving me the support and strength to go through what I knew would be a difficult process for me, not the least being confronting my demons.'