Building trust

Addison Apartments is one of our newest services. It’s a supported living service for young people with physical and learning disabilities, and opened in 2022.

Stacey was one of the first people to move in. At first, she found things difficult in her new home. She didn’t want to leave her flat and spent a lot of time on her own.

But things began to improve for Stacey when Diana started working at Addison Apartments as a Support Worker. Stacey loves animals, so when she caught sight of Diana’s dog Barney, this immediately made her warm to Diana. Diana encouraged Stacey to come out with her and walk Barney, and they started going out to local cafés and restaurants.

Stacey enjoyed going out more, and started to feel more trusting of Diana and other members of her support team. Soon she wanted to take trips further afield and experience new things, so she tried swimming, went on shopping trips and cycled at Warmley Wheelers.

Hiring taxis for these trips was proving expensive, so Diana supported Stacey with the process of buying a car. She now goes out in her car most days, and she loves the greater independence this has given her.

This more outgoing lifestyle greatly increased Stacey’s confidence. She now feels happy and comfortable talking to staff and other people we support at Addison Apartments and can cope much more easily with large social events.

One such occasion was the wedding of Stacey’s cousin in November. The support team did lots of planning to make sure nothing would stop Stacey from enjoying the big day. Stacey is a wheelchair user, so the team checked that the venue could be adapted so it would be accessible to her. They arranged for her to go to the hairdressers and helped to sort out her clothes for the day.

Diana accompanied Stacey throughout the day of the wedding and was thrilled to see her enjoying herself so much. A highlight was the disco, with Stacey joining the bride on the dance floor and taking full part in all of the fun!

“The wedding was nothing short of amazing,” says Diana. “It was brilliant for Stacey, and I’m so proud of her.”

Diana says that building trust has been key to supporting Stacey’s progress during her time at Addison Apartments. “If I say ‘I promise’ to Stacey, then I don’t break that promise. She’s learnt that she can trust me. Once that trust had been built, Stacey came out of her shell and started wanting to try new things. She’s come such a long way!”

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