When Jordan Corstorphine first moved to the YMCA’s My Place flats in Norwich in December 2015, staff not only made him feel welcome but also supported him in taking steps to deal with the effects of an abusive relationship.
“The staff at My Place made me feel welcome and tried their hardest to help me make my flat feel homely,” said Jordan.
Unfortunately, Jordan’s problems were not over and, after a distressing personal incident, he tried to kill himself and self-harmed in his flat.
“When I felt able to tell staff what had happened, they helped me in informing Social Services and the police and supported me throughout, even when I felt hopeless,” he said.
But Jordan became depressed and developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of what had happened to him.
After support from staff, he learnt how to control the PTSD and manage the depression.
“I started improving slowly and the staff walked the path next to me every step of the day,” said Jordan. “But then my depression turned again and my mental health started to deteriorate due to my addiction to sleep medication.”
Jordan went through a relationship break-down which hit him hard and “almost brought me to my knees,” he said.
“I started drinking all day and avoiding paying my rent. The staff at the YMCA kept believing in me, they kept telling me I could overcome my problems – that I could quit drinking and I could live a normal life.
“After some time I realised that I needed to hold onto the belief that was being shown in me and that I could start to believe in myself – so I did.
“The person that walked into that storm in October is not the same person as I am now – and that’s a good thing. I would never have come out of that storm without the help of the YMCA staff and that’s something I’m very thankful for,” he said.
Jordan now has his own flat and is living independently.
“I learnt that the YMCA isn’t just about providing a roof over your head – it’s a second chance to become the person you are supposed to be. If deep down, you really want to become independent and you mean that, then there is no storm that can stop you. It might slow you and discourage you but if you make the decision that ‘this is what I want and there’s nothing that’s going to stop me’, then you’ll make it through the storm.”