Levi's story
Levi came to see our team at drop-in a few years ago after finding himself sofa surfing and unable to find suitable accommodation.
Levi had been struggling with his health since losing his job during the pandemic. In fact, he had been suffering with pain, anxiety and depression since being involved in a car crash in 2016 and it got worse over the years that followed. He has been told that he is living with 1Nociplastic pain.
After losing his job, he returned to his hometown of Reading and lived with a friend for three years. He thought everything was going well, but unexpectedly he was given two months’ notice to leave.
“I hadn’t seen this coming, so it was a huge shock,” he said, “I tried to find somewhere to live using ‘spare room’ and other methods. It was a very stressful time.
“I was honest right from the start and told people I was on benefits; no-one said it would be an issue, even agencies, but then when it came to it, it was an issue.
“There’s still a huge stigma towards people on benefits and I don’t understand why, especially because the landlord is pretty much guaranteed the rent.
“It was so difficult trying to find somewhere to live, which was then making me even more anxious and affecting my mental health.”
Levi had no choice but to go to his mum’s place – but she lived in a one-bed studio flat, so he had to sleep on the sofa.
That’s when he came to Launchpad’s drop-in service. Speaking to our team he was immediately referred to Reading Borough Council and placed in temporary accommodation.
“While I did have a roof over my head, it was a pretty awful set up. I had no cooking facilities, just a kettle so I could eat a pot noodle. I was coming into town and having a McDonalds which isn’t healthy.
“It was noisy and chaotic there. Really not a great place for me to be.”
He stayed in touch with Launchpad and referred to our supported housing team who were able to help him. His 2PIP and 3LCWRA came through and were backdated so he was in a better place financially.
He was offered one of our self-contained studio flats where he stayed, supported by our team, for two years.
Now in a much better place after the support from both drop-in and the supported housing teams at Launchpad, he is living in one of our move-on houses which is permanent.
“It’s a room in a shared house, but everyone is so friendly and does their own thing, it’s perfect for me.”
He is managing his finances, has been to our work and life skills centre and is feeling positive about the future.
“I’ve got a girlfriend who is incredibly supportive and now I am focussing on my health because once I’m feeling better, I want to maybe do some more courses at Reading College and eventually get back to work again.
“Launchpad have been amazing, the people I dealt with in supported housing all really got to understand me. They don’t do everything for you but are there for you.
“If I hadn’t taken that first step and come to drop-in I don’t know where I would be.”
1Nociplastic pain is chronic pain that persists without evidence of tissue injury, resulting in and being sustained by aberrant or heightened pain signal processing of the central nervous system
2 PIP stands for personal independence payment and can help with extra living costs if you have both: a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability; difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition
3LCWRA stands for Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity. It is a component of Universal Credit in the UK. To qualify for LCWRA, you must have a health condition or disability that significantly limits your ability to work.