Down, but not out (From The Northern Echo)

Down, but not out

12:06pm Wednesday 25th November 2009

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A little-known North-East charity has been performing wonders for a quarter of a century.

Barry Nelson meets one of the 7,000 individuals it helps every year.

ANDY had a degree, a good job as a research scientist, was married and lived in a luxury Darlington apartment. But, after developing a severe drink problem, the 39-year-old saw his comfortable world fall apart.

His wife walked out, he was banned from driving, he lost his job and descended deeper and deeper into his personal alcohol-fuelled hell.

Hitting the bottle harder, he spent a night in a psychiatric hospital after experiencing hallucinations and his GP warned him that, unless he gave up drinking, he faced an early death.

Forced to give up his apartment after falling behind with the rent, he found himself in a run-down hostel surrounded by teenagers knocking on his door and offering him cans of beer every hour of the day and night.

Andy tried to stay off the booze, but constantly relapsed, despite being on an NHS support programme.

“I knew I had to get out, but I was worried about simply going to a house on a council estate where I didn’t know anybody. I needed somewhere where I could get 24-hour support,”

he says.

Someone told him about the charity Disc and their supported housing project and, after a few phone calls, he was on their waiting list.

He still remembers the feeling of joy and disbelief when he was given the keys to his new house in March.

“From going from a room in hostel to a house with stairs was unbelievable,” he says.

Since moving in and with the support of Disc’s specialist staff, Andy has managed to get off the booze, is learning new skills via groups run by Disc, including cooking, budgeting and – in the near future – running an allotment.

He is on his way back and is incredibly grateful.

“I feel really privileged. Disc has given me the opportunity to rebuild my life in a controlled way, it is fantastic.”

Despite the praise from Andy, Steve Johnson, the charity’s founder and chief executive, sees troubled times ahead.

When he set up Disc 25 years ago – the initials stand for Developing Initiatives for Support in the Community – it was a time of growing unemployment.

A quarter of a century on, the Spennymoorbased charity, which works with thousands of people whose lives are in crisis for a variety of reasons, is facing similar circumstances.

The recession, combined with predictions that the public sector faces savage budget cuts, means that the number of people needing help after losing their jobs is increasing at the time that the funding is under threat.

It was in 1984 that Steven, a recent graduate from Durham University, formed Disc, a small training and job search initiative aimed at unemployed young people in Durham City.

At that time the North-East was reeling under the impact of Thatcherite public spending cuts combined with a massive shake-out of traditional jobs in mining, shipbuilding and manufacturing.

Unemployment was shooting up and despair was growing.

Now, Disc has grown into one of the North- East’s biggest voluntary organisations, running a wide variety of programmes designed to combat deprivation and promote social inclusion.

An award-winning charity, Disc specialises in developing partnerships and services to help people whose lives have been blighted by unemployment, family breakdown and substance misuse.

With a budget of £14m and programmes across the North-East, Yorkshire and Lancashire, Disc helps to “rescue” about 7,000 people every year.

One of the most successful projects in recent years involves providing independent, but supported, housing in Darlington for people recovering from substance abuse or mental health problems.

But Steve believes that the next few years could be a real challenge.

“We get our money primarily from the public sector. If they get cuts, we will get cuts.

What we are already seeing is an increase in demand for our services. There are more people out there in difficulty, but there is not more money being put in.”

“Already there is a demand which cannot be met and our waiting lists for some programmes is increasing,” he says.

TWENTY-FIVE years ago it was the blue collar workers who were losing their jobs in droves. Now, says Steve, it is the middle classes. Often losing their job is the catalyst which sends them spiralling into substance abuse.

“When you meet them they are just average guys, but something happened to them. Some have degrees, some don’t, but it can affect anyone.

It could be your cousin, your son or your father.”

Looking back to the early days of Disc, Steve describes his colleagues at that time as “a group of visionary volunteers” who were determined to help unemployed young people and the most disadvantaged, including exoffenders.

While Disc has grown beyond recognition the same themes apply today – helping marginalised people to overcome problems and put them back onto their feet and then into jobs.

One of the most successful has been Dass (Darlington Accommodation Support Services), which is funded by a Government programme, Supporting People.

A recent report suggested the £1.6bn invested by Supporting People saved the Government £3.4bn through reduced costs for homelessness, crime, health and residential care.

Dass works with landlords in Darlington to make good quality accommodation available to clients who would otherwise find it impossible to find anywhere decent to live.

Steve says: “Getting somewhere decent to live is the bottom line. Unless you have an address, you have nothing.”

■ To contact Disc, telephone 01388-424450 or visit disc-vol.org.uk

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