Tom was facing challenging circumstances that seemed insurmountable. A former offender, he had found himself in a cycle of substance misuse, homelessness and depression.
“The first time I came across Step Together was when I was living in an alcohol rehab project in Manchester and was really struggling to cope. Karen came in to do a presentation and I was really struck with what she had to say about volunteering.” Tom explained.
“Looking back, I can see I was trying to run before I could walk and Karen realised this long before I did. She got to know me and we discussed different options. I started volunteering at a dog’s home and it was just what I needed back then.”
Step Together provided Tom with tailored one-to-one support to help him into a community volunteering placement that matched his needs and interests, and helped him to develop the personal and practical skills needed to build a more positive future.
Tom really valued the support and said, “Since those first steps, I haven’t looked back. I completed several courses and moved on to volunteering in the social care sector. I am now in employment and at the interview they said that the experience I’d gained volunteering would be very useful.”
“It’s been a wonderful journey so far and one that I didn’t think would be possible. I didn’t even know where to start, but Karen has been there, every step of the way.”
Step Together is helping to reduce the number of people who re-offend on leaving prison. In the UK, almost half of adults are reconvicted within one year of release and for those serving sentences of less than 12 months, this figure increases to almost 60%. Less than 5% of ex-offenders who receive one-to-one support from Step Together reoffend.