Case Study:
Mark
Introduction to Mark
For someone that has been let down, trust means everything.
Mark was one of our shelter guests, he was a gamble, but I believed he could turn his life around with the right support and the right people around him.
He tested us and gave us the run around on a number off occasions!
Mark was a challenge due to his chaotic and unstable lifestyle but with this, he was also honest about his addictions.
Hardship
Listening to Mark’s stories were interesting, and you could understand why he got frustrated when he asked for help so many times.
Mark was in and out of prison too. It was his safety net; it gave him routine and structure, and he felt safe there too, as for most of his life it’s all he has known.
We attended meeting after meeting with Mark, so he had support there and we could explain why he felt so failed by various systems
Success
We answered calls when he was on top of buildings, and the only people he would talk to was us. We housed Mark but it didn’t work out for him; still, our support was there even when Mark had been in prison. We still get weekly calls from Mark – sometimes daily – just to see how we are doing and to update us on how he is. Mark expresses himself through poems: it’s amazing how reading a poem written by someone you’ve helped can be so powerful. Mark is now clean and taking positive steps forward to create the future he wants. Our guests are more than just a number to us – we want them to succeed.
