Hand Injury Gets Homeless Man Housed After Six Year Wait
Nick has been homeless since 2007 and claims he has made repeated attempts to ask the council for accommodation in Brighton. Ironically, being hospitalised and operated on after a wound on his hand got infected, has proven to be a 'golden ticket' in getting housed.
A homeless man who has been living on the streets for years is finally getting housed after being hospitalised and treated for an infected wound on his hand.
Nick Davey's injury was caused by a burn that was left untreated and got infected, which eventually turned into cellulitis.
He said: "It was getting uncomfortable, but there was nothing I could do about it so I just let it get worse and worse, until it grew to the size of a tennis ball and I was brought to hospital."
His hand had to be operated on immediately to remove the abscess that had developped and required skin grafts to replace the lost tissue in his hand.
After remaining in hospital for 10 days, he was informed that he would be eligible for housing to ensure that his wound would not get infected again.
Nick, 28 and originally from Guildford, has been homeless since the age of 22 after his relationship broke down and found himself unable to keep up with payments on his house.
As a result, he decided to move to Brighton and has spent the last six years sleeping on the streets, his mother not even knowing he is homeless because he is too embarrased to tell her.
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Determined to find a way to get back on his feet, Nick claims he has made repeated attempts to ask for help from the council, with no success.
He said: "I actually slept outside the council for about six months, every single day, I kept getting moved by the council, being told I wasn't allowed to sleep there. I was just trying to make a point. I tried protesting myself, but nothing."
Ironically, Nick's hand injury turned out to be a golden ticket in getting housed, since he only became entitled to accommodation after it was deemed too risky to let him go back to living on the street.
He said: "This has clearly given me some advantages in getting housed. It could be the start of a new life for me, who knows."
Andy Winter, Chief Executive of the Brighton Housing Trust, said that this was a reflection of how the system is failing people in need of help.
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Brighton and Hove City Council declined to comment, however confirmed that more than 50% of the people that were successfully housed in hostels last year moved on to 'greater independence, i.e. supporter accommodation or their own tenancy'.
Additionally, out of 1163 homeless people the council worked with in 2012, 450 were relocated to accommodation outside Brighton and Hove.
Nick, who was working full time as a salesman before being made redundant, said: "I just want to be given the opportunity to show what I'm capable of doing... All I need is a place to live, and then I will work.
"If I was given a place to stay, there's absolutely no way I would risk going back to being homeless again, no way. And I'm adamant about that, one hundred per cent."
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