With a good job as a probation officer, Ransome had a stable life. Unfortunately, after taking sabbatical leave, he had problems getting his job back. Without an income, the challenges posed by the bureaucracy of the system became insurmountable and the inevitable homelessness that followed only made things worse.
Ransome tried multiple agencies to try and get back on his feet, but had no luck. He developed a substance abuse issue and had to overcome that before he could move forward. Eventually, however, he started to get his life back together enough to manage some short periods of employment. Meanwhile he was introduced to Friends In Deed, and he is unusual amongst our clients in that, even though we weren’t able to place him in a motel for more than short periods during the hottest weather, he had the perseverance to work with us to find permanent housing.
You don’t need to talk to Ransome for very long before you discover that community and citizenship are very important to him. When asked about what they are looking forward to most about being housed, many people say “privacy” or “being able to cook for myself again.” Ransome is the first person we have come across who has told us he is looking forward to filing his taxes! Now he is housed it is very clear that he wants to find employment again and return to the positive and community-minded life he had before his problems began.