“Staffs Housing helped me to remain in the home I love for over 40 years!”

Resident shares how thanks to the support of our Money Advice Team he’s been able to remain in his beloved home over the last four decades.

John* moved into his home in 1983 and bought the home he rented in 2001. Sadly, after financial issues his experienced with a friend, he became bankrupt and had to sell his home.

He said the experience was devastating and made worse by feeling like he was going to lose a property that he’d invested thousands into making feel like home.

As part of the bankruptcy process, John went down the mortgage rescue scheme, where Staffs Housing bought back his home and then rented it to him to prevent him from being evicted, having to move out, or be made homeless.

As well as giving him this opportunity the Money Advice and Income Team also provided support on the process and how to gain control of his finances again.

Years later he shares how he called on the team again to support him when his health declined.

“Over the years Staffs Housing have been nothing but supportive”, said John.

“They helped me to stay in a home I loved for 41 years, and I will always be grateful to them for that.

“Three years ago, I was admitted to hospital when the pandemic first hit the UK. During the chaos at the hospital, I experienced a stroke which left me partially paralysed and changed my life.

“It meant I needed support to live independently, and Staffs Housing’s Money Advice Team were able to identify what benefits I was eligible for and helped me to apply for them.

“This drastically helped to improve my quality of life and enabled me to remain in my home once again.”

Now John is calling on the support of the team once again to help him live a more independent life in one of Staffs Housing’s over 55s assisted living schemes.

“I’m making the jump to move out”, said John.

“It will be sad to leave, but I’m going to be moving to Staffs Housing’s assisted living scheme where I’ll be able to have carers on-site to help me live more independently.

“I’ll also have a community of people around me, a team of staff for support, and on-site facilities and activities so I can be as sociable as I’d like to be from the comfort of my home.

“Staffs Housing have been great again throughout this process too. The village team have helped by supporting with any viewings and answering any of my queries to help make moving in as easy as possible. And the Money Advice Team have helped to support me with rents and budgets to make sure the move is affordable.

“To anyone who was thinking of using the Income or Money Advice services I would say do it. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. They made really challenging times throughout my life easier to manage.”

*Name changed to protect identity.