Aarons Story

When Aaron received a life changing call last year to leave his home in Durham to come and care for his 2 teenage children in Coventry, he dropped everything and made the trip as soon as he possibly could – like any parent would do.

However, with no fixed address in the City, and unable to stay with the children’s Mother, the 3 of them soon found themselves having to present as homeless. A stark contrast from the life Aaron had left behind in Durham; “I was living in a settled, 3-bedroom rented property. I was just about to start a volunteering position with the British Red Cross, and was also close to completing a course in Woodwork.”

Going into emergency and temporary accommodation was a completely new experience for the family, at one point they were all sharing a hotel room before being placed in a couple of properties around the city. One of which was a small 2 bed flat – where Aaron lived, ate and slept in the living room, so the children could have a little bit of their own space, which is particularly important for teenagers.

However, since being a tenant of Cornerstone Partnership, Aaron and his children are now settling into a spacious 3-bedroom home that they are able to stay in permanently. This has always been the core vision for Cornerstone – to take people from a position of homelessness and give them the opportunity to live in a long-term, affordable home.

“It sounds a bit cliché, but it hasn’t actually sunk in yet! The property is of such a nice quality – it’s not what I was expecting to be put in, it’s nice to have all this space!”

As the family settle into their home, it means that Aaron and the children can now start to think of their futures once again and build a new life as a family unit.

“It’s no doubt had a positive impact on our lives. I was in limbo in the flat before, but now It’s time to start making plans. Take it one step at a time.”

What’s particularly unique about our relationship with Aaron, is that he is the 1st tenant to move on from one of our temporary accommodation properties into fixed housing, which is capped at the local housing allowing (LHA) rate. This means a TRULY AFFORDABLE home for Aaron and his children, where he doesn’t have to use funds from anywhere else to make up rent. It also means our relationship with him will continue to develop, and we’re so excited to see what the future holds for the three of them.

“They’ve been top notch. From the first girl I spoke to on the phone, to Oli who I now know in person – just super! Really nice people. I feel like I’ve built up a decent rapport with them already.”