CASE STUDY: Mo's story

Mo had been with the team on and off for two years. For much of this time, he was not ready for the support so did not regularly engage.

He is an Ongo tenant and prior to recently referring himself for support, had not worked in six years. His main responsibilities were raising his two daughters following on from the breakup of his relationship with their mother. Mo was claiming Jobseekers Allowance and was unsure as to which career path to take.

Mo was referred to a National Careers Advisor for support in building a CV. This enabled him to look at his previous work history and reflect on the opportunities that he might like to aim for.

Due to parental commitments, initially he could only apply for part-time employment but was worried about how this might impact on his benefits, rent payments and cost of living. A benefit calculation and advice was completed with a member of the Tenancy Sustainment team so that Mo could better understand his position and make a choice around what he felt would be best.

Mo was also supported in obtaining a grant from North Lincolnshire Council to pay for food shopping and referred to National Energy Action for a grant to pay towards his utilities.

Following on from several discussions, it was identified that Mo could look at training for his Class 2 driving license as the hours varied and more flexibility was given around taking his daughters to school and picking them up.  Funding was applied for and obtained, to pay for his Class 2 training, and a further funding grant application was made to another external provider to pay for his Taco card and medical assessment. Initially, Mo failed two of his Class 2 driving tests so coaching was completed around anxiety and how to better manage this.

Mo was provided with a mindfulness toolkit to take home and on the third attempt, he passed his Class 2 test, which boosted his confidence and gave him hope of finding work. He was referred to Ongo Recruitment to discuss suitable job roles and applications were made. Mo was also given mock interview practice.

Initially, it was hard to obtain employment as a Class 2 Driver as Mo had his license, but no experience, and with many agencies requiring at least one year of driving experience, this proved difficult. He was encouraged to not give up and after many applications and discussions with various agencies, Mo was finally given a job and is now driving up and down the country delivering goods, on a full-time basis and a starting wage of £28,000.

An application has been made for funding for his Class 1 driver training and he hopes to complete this in the future and he can now continue applying for other Class 2 driving roles. This has impacted greatly on his life, ensuring that he has been able to manage and maintain his bills and tenancy, and ensures that he still has quality time with his daughters.