Andrew’s Story
Andrew was diagnosed with autism as a child. He faced bereavements and relationship breakdowns that left him without adult support in his life. As a young adult, Andrew struggled to adapt to the challenges and responsibilities of living alone. With support from our Outreach team, Andrew is well on his way to managing his own home.
Andrew had a close relationship with his grandad growing up. This relationship was vital for Andrew and helped fill the gap left by his parents not being part of his life.
Andrew’s mum passed away when he was four. His dad raised him, but their relationship is troubled, and they have little contact with each other now. However, just as Andrew was making the important but challenging transition into adulthood, he lost his grandad too.
Struggling alone
Andrew was initially referred to us because he was going through financial difficulties. He owed over £1000 in rent and hadn’t paid his water bill for some time.
In his living room, Andrew had written his household budget straight onto the wall. He felt he needed to be able see his budget in this way to visualise it, due to the way his processing is affected by his autism.
Andrew was doing his best to manage at home, but things had become very disorganised. He was struggling to get things back on track.
Making a flat a home
We knew we could help teach Andrew to manage his finances, but we felt we also needed to help Andrew turn his living space into somewhere that felt like home. With generous support from The Harpenden Trust and Friends of hyh we set about transforming Andrew’s flat.
Andrew now has new carpets that have made his home much cosier. And we helped Andrew paint over the handwritten budget on the wall and replace it with a whiteboard. This gave Andrew a way to visualise his budget and keep track of important meetings.
We will continue to support Andrew until he is able to manage living independently. For now, we are so happy to see improvements in Andrew’s wellbeing and are hopeful about his future prospects.
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