Story
Before Robes, I was on the streets for 5 months. I had lost my job and could not get another. These days you cannot get a proper job without Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS). I needed to renew my green card to work in construction but had no money and I was always stressed moving from place to place. I could not think straight. And now, I have been in Robes just two months and look what you have done! You have made it possible for me to do training and pass my CSCS test and get a new card that will last for 5 years. And you have put me in touch with Pecan who have sorted me out with work straight away. And when I got work, you helped me get work boots which are mandatory, and with travel fares to get to work until my first pay day. All this time, I have wasted when I was on the streets with no help! Nobody wanted to know me. Robes has been fantastic! I tell you next year I am going to come back and volunteer in the Churches. This is important for me now as I have seen what you do and how you help people like me.
This Guest is working full time, secure with the right credentials in place. And he recently completed training in Health and Safety and a course in first aid which will help his advancement. He is still not properly housed as we would like him to be. At present, he pays his way in backpackers hostels while looking to rent a room. To accept accommodation from the agency contacts that Robes has would not suit him. These agents typically charge between £1,000 - £1,300 for a studio flat and prefer tenants who are likely to be out of work for a long period of time, if not indefinitely so they have a fixed stream of income from the local authorities. All his monthly income would evaporate when meeting these costs. As he says, what would be the point of working? So, he is confident in relying on word of mouth as he works and meets others for finding a room in a shared house for working people like himself. He wants us to know Robes has helped him move from being in a difficult place without hope in sight to one where he is working full time in a job. He feels fulfilled and is optimistic about his future.