Homeless pensioner who slept in campervan one of 2,500 people rehomed last year

A pensioner who spent a winter sleeping in his campervan said he has “landed on his feet” after being one of 2,500 people helped into a permanent home by a housing association over the last 12 months.

John, 79, who lives near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, became homeless after a family breakdown during the pandemic.

He had been visiting family in the Galloway area in his campervan when the first lockdown took place in March 2020 and found himself having to stay.

He found a static caravan but could only stay for the high season as the holiday park closed during the winter.

“I had to go back to sleeping in my campervan. It wasn’t ideal, but the way I see it was I was one of the lucky ones,” he said.

John has now moved into a one-bedroom bungalow thanks to the Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership – which is part of the Wheatley Group.

He added: “I didn’t really know where to turn. I’d gone back to sleeping in the camper over winter. However, I’ve really landed on my feet and I can’t thank everyone enough for all they’ve done – from the minute I was given support locally until I received my keys two months ago.

“I worked all my life until I retired, so it was a really traumatic difficult time. However, I’m really lucky – especially after finding myself homeless in my late-70s – to now have somewhere like this to call home and have lots of support.”

Wheatley has worked with the Scottish Government, local authorities and other support agencies to tackle homelessness and 164 temporary furnished homes have been turned into permanent homes for people living in them since June 2020.

The group has also created more than 300 Housing first tenancies through a multi-partnership set up to tackle rough sleeping.

William, 69, from Glasgow, has family support back in his life after years of living on the streets of the city after being handed the keys to his own flat in February.

He suffers from mental health issues as a result of childhood trauma and has battled addictions throughout his adult life.

“Getting the keys to a new house is only one small part – the support is key. I went from having nothing to having a house, with no belongings, and that was really hard,” William said.

“I can honestly say that without the support of my two housing officers I wouldn’t be here today. I was more afraid of living than I was dying and they’ve made it possible for me to live a life I never thought I could.

“I suffer with mental health issues, brought about through trauma I suffered as a child. That goes hand in hand with the addictions – it was my way of coping.

“They go above and beyond and they are always there for me. There’s not a time they haven’t answered my calls or helped me – that has been life-changing for me,” said William.

“I want to help others in the way I was. Life for me is good now, I can deal with things I would have run away from before – that’s only down to the help I’ve had from my housing officers.”

Hazel Young, Wheatley Group Director of Housing and Property Management, said: “We continue to do all we can to protect the most vulnerable people in society and to support those who are homeless and in greatest need in our communities. Homelessness can happen to anyone at any age.

“Working closely with our partners across the country we are helping make sure people in our communities are able to access a warm and safe place to call home.

“We will continue to do all we can to support the most vulnerable people across Wheatley communities in the east, west and south of Scotland.”

The surnames of John and William have been withheld to protect their privacy.