The top ten myths of UTA: the seventh myth

Myth 7 - 'Surely you can get SOME kind of help in there...'

'I'm an old man, frail, I was in what they called 'a hotel' for a while. It wasn't ideal, I could hardly manage all the stairs and the noise at night was unbearable but it was ok I suppose. I fell a couple of times while I was there and ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone, that set me back a bit. I was out of hospital quick...too quick, they can't get rid of you quick enough in there and so I was back in the hotel but I never felt right since then, since hospital. I was confused a lot and forgetful. I'd forget my appointments, and my Justlife worker would be writing things down for me and phoning me to remind me I had a doctors appointment, I'd remember then you so see, I'd remember once she'd told me again but I wouldn't have remembered otherwise.Worst things was that I started to lose control, its embarrassing you know, any pride - any dignity I had left went right out the window then - when I couldn't control it... there was the smell and the mess, I was disgusted with myself - I was in a hotel room. I couldn't wash my stuff, my underwear, I'm a grown man but I feel so ............... Ah dunno...... It happened a few times and the hotel guy, the owner, he says to me: 'I can't look after you, that's not my job' and that was that. That was that. That was me back on the streets.'People like Dave frequently find themselves falling between the cracks in a broken system where some services won't help them because their needs are too low and others won't help because their needs are too high. The street is no place for Dave, a B&B is no place for Dave. We need a plan.Supporting Justlife will help us to make real and lasting system change as well as providing frontline service to hundreds of people in need everyday.