Scott's Story

As part of Elim’s 60^th Anniversary celebrations this year, we have been talking to residents past and present about their time with Elim. Ex Resident Scott tells us below about his time as a resident at Taylor House, Gloucester and the impact it has had.

Can you tell us about your living situation prior to Elim?

Me and my partner were evicted from our flat in Cheltenham and we ended up living in a hotel for a bit which was awful. Our little girl was also taken into care at the same time and that left me in a bad place mentally.

The START team at Gloucester City Council told me about Elim and that’s how I ended up here. I moved to Taylor House with my partner but we ended up splitting up, so I had to start my journey all over again, alone which was tough but Elim supported me through it and I gained a lot of self confidence while at Taylor House.

What has Elim been able to support you with?

Coming here is the first time I had been able to open up about issues that were effecting me. There was always a member of staff to talk to when I really needed it and over a period of two years we built up trust and having the communication there really helped me. There’s a proper community at Elim. Taylor House is different, I still come back to visit now and see my friends.

My support worker helped me create a support plan, which took my need's into account at that time and things I wanted to achieve. Doing a support plan helped me put things into perspective which is hard to do alone. I knew I wanted my own place so that’s what we worked on first.

Since leaving Elim I’m now living independently in a permanent flat in Cheltenham. My Brother lives close by, so I have that family connection. Although it wasn’t easy making a new home, Elim helped me and built up my confidence, so I thought that yeah, actually I can do this.

What are your future plans and aspirations?

I’m just taking it month by month. I’m starting to feel settled in Cheltenham but I would like to move back to Gloucester at some point. Having my own place to live is important so I just want to keep being independent. I feel like I have the skills to do that now, so it’s just keeping that momentum going.

What impact do you think Elim has had on your situation?

I can talk openly about things that are bothering me now, I can express my feelings and I feel better because of it. My mental health is much better. I have a confidence now, which I didn’t have before.

Located in Matson, Gloucester, Taylor House provides accommodation based support for single people and couples with complex, multiple and high level support needs, aged 18+. 34 residents are housed in a mixture of self-contained accommodation and rooms with shared facilities.

Elim encourages and support's all residents in preparing for volunteering, training, education or employment, as well as community involvement. Most Taylor House residents stay for 6 months; however, we understand that everyone’s circumstances are different and the length of stay may be shorter or longer.

To find out more, call the Taylor House Team on 01454 532560. Referrals to Taylor House come through the Gloucester START Meeting. Gloucester City Council’s Housing Options Service can be contacted on 01452 396396.