Hello I am Sophie. I have recently moved into a shared home in Harrogate where I can live independently enabled and supported by ubu. I have only lived here a few months and things have already started to get better for me. Before moving in I was really unhappy, my parents noticed and were very worried about me. I haven’t had the best start to my adult life, I have been in and out of social care for a long time, I could not settle anywhere and nowhere felt like home.
I have mild learning disabilities yet I am very independent. I am not very confident and I struggle with organising myself, taking my medication, managing my money and tenancy. I usually find day to day life hard. Having to leave my home and be around other people makes me anxious.
When I moved in, the ubu the enabling team asked me to think of a goal or something I dreamed of doing. What did I want to do? Where can I see myself going? I had never been asked this before…. I used to be very confident and I used to have a job with children. I loved being with them and the job gave me a lot of happiness. I am a ‘people person’ and I love chatting to people and being in the company of others. I wanted the old me back but how could I get there?
I was given the opportunity to go to the Hub to help interview for new enablers. I wasn’t sure at first and I was very nervous but with encouragement I went. When I arrived at the Hub I was greeted by a lady called Helen who also lives in a flat supported and enabled by ubu.
Helen made me feel very welcome and relaxed, she explained that she helps the managers interview quite often. She wasn’t very confident in the beginning and interviewing really helped her. She told me that she could help me with everything I needed to know about interviewing.
Spending the day with Helen and the ubu team really encouraged me. I felt like I had taken the first positive step to getting back to the old me. A week later I was asked if I could interview again with Helen. I was happy to asked back to help. I really enjoyed learning new things and helping the managers so I jumped at the chance. I also got the opportunity to spent some time with my new friend, Helen.
I have been asked to help at the interviews quite a few times since that nerve racking first time and I am a lot happier and more confident. I am not thinking about where I want to go in my life …. I can see a future, I have applied for a job in a charity shop to help me gain more skills and independence.
With the support and encouragement of the ubu enabling team I have started to believe in myself. I believe that if I want to do something then I should go out and do it. In the future I would like a career, maybe go back to working with children. Maybe even marriage? Who knows?
I will keep you updated with my progress.
