We are a housing project in Stoke-on-Trent, engaging with clients who have experienced homelessness. We aim to blend accommodation, with personalised support and education in life skills. 

ADVOC8 is founded on our own 8 Stages of Recovery from homelessness. We understand that rough sleeping is a life-changing, and often traumatic period in someone's life. Our 8 Stages are:

READJUST to life inside. Sleeping outside can keep someone in a state of hyper vigilance, panic and survival. Once they have moved into a warm and safe environment, it can take a while for our senses to begin to calm. For the first few days, there will be no expectations - just chance to rest and recover. 

REFRESH our mind and body. This will include being provided with toiletries, being linked up with a barber and being supported to get parts of the identity that can be eroded by homelessness back.  

RECONNECT to other sources of support and care. At this stage we register with and visit the GP, the dentist. If we need to contact local drug and alcohol service or mental health teams then we have routes into these. This is about expanding a support network to ensure all bases are covered ready to begin the support. 

RECONVENE to work out what led to this point. This is the start of the journey into support. We sit together to work out what went wrong, take accountability for the parts we feel we need to, try to accept our mistakes and correct what we can. This requires honesty and commitment and can be a big step for many. 

REDESIGN what life is going to look like. This is a fun step on the journey and can involved exploring skills, talents, dreams and ambitions to explore what the next step could be. What did we want to do before our life became complicated? How close were we? What did we do prior to the chaos? Can we get back there, or do we want to try something completely new? We can look at college courses, online study or voluntary placements to expand a CV and skillset and have good relationships within Stoke-on-Trent with several placement options.

REBALANCE by finding a route forward. Where do we want to be? What do we want to be doing? And how are we going to get to that point? Let's make maps, timelines and plans. 

REFOCUS to make sure we have everything ready and  in place. Once referral options have been pursued and options are available we start looking forward. Have we got everything we need? Do we know how to pay the bills of our next home? Do we know who to contact in an emergency? Do we know how to balance healthy relationships and friendships? This is the time to ensure that we are ready for independence.  

RESETTLE by moving on to secure accommodation.   This is the time to move and start again, but this time, with a brand new set of skills and support. Dependent on location, we can continue to offer support on an outreach basis, to help with settling into the new home and getting everything organised and set up correctly.