Malcolm lived in a three-bedroom council house with his parents for 35 years. But when they passed away the council told him that he had to move out so that the property could be reallocated to another family.
"I managed to find another, smaller property to move to with Futures’ help but I had nothing. I'd also never really had to think about finances or budgeting until then. My money had always been my own.
"I had no idea which bills I had to pay, how much they cost or how much I needed to budget for them. It was all brand new to me. Historically, my parents and sister had always taken care of that side of things.
"Because of this, you could say I had a bit of a blase attitude about paying bills and I got into debt with the council for not paying my rent. Fortunately, Louise from Futures came to visit me to see if she could help - she's been a real godsend ever since that first visit.
"She still helps me now. I'm partially-disabled, so she's helped me get my Personal Independence Payment (PIP). She helps me manage my bills too. Before I met her, I didn't even know about Universal Credit. Now I'm all signed up to receive it. More recently she has supported me to apply and receive Limited Capability for Work which means I no longer have to seek work due to my disabilities and receive extra financial support. She has helped with food parcels, energy grants and Council Tax support.
"Louise has completely changed my life. I don't know where I'd be without her. I've been on my own for most of my life and not had to worry about money for 40 years. Being organised with my finances was something I just wasn't used to thinking about. If I wanted to go out, I'd go to the bank, get my money out and go out, and that was that.
"I've had to completely change the way I handle my finances, which isn't easy when you've always done things a certain way for so long. Even though I live on my own, it's nice to know that if I need help, I've got someone to reach out to. Louise is fantastic, I really appreciate everything she does."
