Working in partnership with One You Kent to provide holistic support

The Advocacy People work closely with One You Kent to support clients navigating through the care and housing systems to improve their mental and physical health. One You Kent is part of Kent Community Health Foundation Trust (KCHFT) and offers health improvement services including smoke-free, weight loss and healthy lifestyle support.

One You Kent referred Rob (not his real name) to The Advocacy People after he revealed he was struggling with mental health and housing difficulties. He felt he wasn’t being listened to and that he wasn’t getting the help he needed to be well and find somewhere permanent to live.

The Advocacy People’s advocate, Jon, and One You Lifestyle Adviser, Elizabeth, supported Rob over a number of months to get the support he needed.

Jon from The Advocacy People said:

Elizabeth from One You Kent was always professional despite the many frustrations and setbacks Rob had along the way. She had excellent rapport with Rob and understood how the system works and how to navigate it to get the best outcomes for him. She responded to my requests for feedback or information promptly. It was a great team partnership, with Rob at the centre, telling us what he wanted.

Elizabeth from One You Kent agreed they made a great team:

Working alongside Jon from The Advocacy People helped us achieve the best outcomes for our client. He benefited from our understanding and support to get the right treatment and support for his mental health alongside support to access housing and benefits. Working together meant we could get this support in place quickly, any delays could have caused more harm to the client who had been struggling to access support and was becoming increasingly frustrated. Having two services meant we could support each other’s work effectively, if there were any areas that either side was unsure of or struggling to make headway. Our client is now accessing treatment, feels listened to and valued again – he has restarted his hobbies and is now receiving the support he needs for his physical health too.

Rob is now being treated by the community mental health team and has been added to the housing register. He said:

I have never got this far before, I always hit a brick wall and gave up.