I was walking down the street not really thinking about much at all, when I passed The Link and thought to myself, they help young people, maybe I should pop in. I was nervous but the staff quickly made me feel at home.

 

I suffer with Asperger’s Syndrome, which means I can find it hard to read the signals that most people take for granted. It makes it difficult for me to communicate and interact with people and I often feel anxious about having to do that. I was bullied at school so I was not the most confident person, but when I walked into The Link they made sure I was comfortable.

 

I needed help with a lot of things to be honest – but the first step was getting my housing situation sorted as I was homeless. The Link staff referred me to a housing group and helped me talk to the landlord of a property. They didn’t leave me there though, the staff then gave me support and guidance about how to set up my water, gas and electricity payments. They also showed me what I needed to do to apply for Housing Benefit and Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

 

The Link has supported me with numerous problems which I felt I couldn’t cope with myself. For example, when I had issues with my benefits being suspended, they helped me talk to people on the phone and understand what they were saying and talked me through filling out important forms.

 

Now I have a home I have strong foundations to build the rest of my life upon and will continue to work with The Link to achieve my goals. I already feel I have become more independent and confident dealing with day to day issues. In the future I want to spend time working on my writing and hope one day to become a published Author. I am positive about the future and know that when I need practical advice and guidance I have The Link to turn to.