A new year, a fresh start – blog from TSO, Nigel Plummer

I have worked in housing for 20 years and have seen many cases like this one, but as I handed a new customer the keys he said with a huge smile;

“Hot water in the tap, access to a plug socket, a shower! When you don’t have a home you take these things for granted.”

Brandon and his brother Kai had been through the mill over the last few years. After disagreements with family, the brothers found themselves, like many people, sofa surfing on friends’ settees. They even found themselves sleeping in their grandmother’s cold conservatory. Through all of this, Brandon had become a father too, so the pressure was on to find somewhere to live, close to his daughter but also with Kai, his brother who needs support as he has ADHD.

Determined to not let his brother down, Brandon would make sure that the home he was offered was the right one, the right environment that would let Kai grow in a good place.

After spending weeks in a hotel and months in temporary accommodation, Brandon and Kai found their home here, in Milton Keynes in a Stonewater property.

When I met him, he couldn’t believe the property was his. He’s so chuffed that he has a room of his own, and a room for his brother. He’s also made up as he has a garage, somewhere to store his fishing gear – something he hasn’t enjoyed doing for a while.

When Brandon said that you take for granted the things that come with a home, it made me think how important it is to have a place to call home and that Stonewater is truly making a difference to the lives of people like Brandon and Kai.