Amelia has been known to us for years – never in the same place for long, coming and going from Bristol, in and out of housing, various violent partners… Early experience of sexual abuse and family breakdown led to serious mental health challenges and heavy substance misuse.

Then quite recently something happened in her personal life. It gave her a new perspective and a deep sense of purpose. Her motivation and determination have been astonishing to see!

Amelia knew she needed to take massive steps and that it would be essential to get the right support. Fortunately, her worker in local housing services could see how things had gone wrong for her in the past. They could see how much it meant to Amelia for her to have a sense of control over the housing process and removing any pressure on her to meet deadlines or appointments.

Along with this, a healthcare professional linked Amelia in to the scripting service in our drop-in so she could start to work on her substance misuse. Most of all, this is all about her. But it’s also a really great example of partnership working and how services can work so well when they put the person at the centre.

Now Amelia is settled in rehab and doing so well. Rehab isn’t just uprooting yourself and going through withdrawal. It’s about going through all that pain in your past that’s at the root of addiction. And then trying to get on with everyone else who’s at rehab too! But she’s doing it, she’s keeping in touch and we’re all cheering her on.