Warwickshire Woman Celebrates New Independence Thanks to Derventio Housing Trust After a Life in Care
By Jill Dando News
A Warwickshire woman in the UK who spent her childhood in and out of the care system has voiced her gratitude to award-winning Derventio Housing Trust for helping her into the first secure home of her life.
Hollie Swanwick, 21, said she is relieved to finally be in her own council flat after a whole life spent in and out of care, alongside caring for family through illness in a succession of insecure homes.
She has credited the caring support from Derventio Housing Trust for finally helping her get the independence and support she has always wanted.
Derventio Housing Trust provides accommodation to people who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness.
Operating in five UK counties including Warwickshire, it helps more than 1,000 people a year, and employs dedicated housing and support officers to help people get their lives back on track again.
Since founding more than 20 years ago, Derventio Housing Trust has reported providing more than two million bed spaces to those most in need.
Hollie, whose dad passed away recently, described how she had been made aware of Derventio Housing Trust through a friend, when a new relationship meant she was forced to leave her family home again, aged 19.
She said: “It was really worrying to be in that situation when I was only 19. I knew someone who had been with Derventio before and she told me about them. I contacted one of the support workers and went for my first meeting with them.”
With no job and facing a precarious situation without a home, Hollie was provided with shared accommodation with Derventio Housing Trust whose support officers then helped her on into her own council flat.
Hollie said she is now delighted to be living independently, giving her security and peace of mind for the first time in her life.
She said: “I’m where I want to be now. My housing and support worker from Derventio Housing Trust helped me fill in the forms and do everything I needed to get on to the council waiting list.”
Not only did Derventio Housing Trust help Hollie secure a council flat, they also provided her with a fridge through Sylvester’s Fund, the organisation’s charitable pot which pays for one-off items to help people move on with their lives.
Hollie said: “Derventio has been absolutely brilliant. They helped me get back on my feet and my support worker has been great - if there was anything I needed she would always be there straight away.
“I had always worried about going into a different sort of supported living. If you’re in that situation you can’t help but overthink it and worry. So it was great to have had a recommendation about Derventio.
“At the end of the day, with everything I’ve been through, this feels like stability in my life finally. If you’ve been through tough times, having somewhere to live where you feel secure is probably one of the best things you could have. Everyone has got their own story at the end of the day. To have that bit of stability and security has just been so nice.
“I’ve had so much support from Derventio to move into my own place. It has been really nice and I’m grateful that Derventio is where I went rather than anywhere else.”
Sarah Hernandez, managing director of Derventio Housing Trust, said: “We are so delighted that Hollie has been able to move into her own independent living situation after a lifetime of extreme insecurity. We are very proud at Derventio that we are able to support residents who turn to us for help through our dedicated team of housing and support workers who do such a great job in supporting people in their lives. We never just provide accommodation, we believe that every person matters and we provide whatever support they need to get things back on track. We wish Hollie very well and all the best in the future.”
Derventio Housing Trust launched in Warwickshire in 2021 and in just four years the housing trust has grown and now provides accommodation for 63 people in Warwickshire.
