MHAW26 - Craig's story

Craig is a longtime Advance customer, who has lived in his home for 18 years as a shared owner. He lives with his wife Kirsty, who he has been married to for 10 years. Craig met Kirsty at a Charity Shop they were both working at, where he says they “connected straight away”. They love to go on holiday and recently spent time in Skegness where they had a relaxing time.

Craig gained independence through being a shared owner, and he now works at Sainsburys. While he enjoys working there, he finds it can be difficult at moments due to him being hard of hearing and having a speech impediment. Sometimes, he finds that customers lack understanding and are rude to him. People also can be impatient when communicating with him, and he sometimes has to use a pen and paper. This impacts his work, as well as his mental health.

His experience at Sainsburys has shown him that in general, people need to have more understanding and compassion to communicate better with people who are deaf, have a learning disability, or are neurodiverse.

This is something that Kirsty feels as well, as they are both hard of hearing and have a mild learning disability. Recently Craig was mentioned positively by a customer to his manager, which he said made his day. He wishes more customers were kind and compassionate like this.

In his free time, Craig likes to keep himself busy. He finds that going for a walk is a good distraction if he is struggling with his mental health. Being creative also takes his mind off things, as he can do something with his hands and be mindful. He enjoys puzzles, building things, and colouring.

Craig is a dedicated fan of Nottingham Forest. He likes to keep up with football, and to go and watch both the men’s and women’s teams with Kirsty. He also enjoys playing FIFA on his PS4 and plays as Forest. While he keeps himself busy, Craig feels that his mental health would benefit from new experiences and making new friends.

Craig also aspires to move out of his home and find somewhere new to live. He wants to find somewhere where he and Kirsty can feel safe and have a fresh start. However, as Craig is independent, this means he no longer qualifies for support which he has had in the past.

Craig would like support to help with the moving process, and with tasks such as paying rent and his mortgage. Craig has been talking to Jackie, Advance’s Customer Engagement Manager, to find this support so that he and Kirsty can get their house ready to go on the market. In the meantime, Craig is focusing on what he can control and is looking forward to his next holiday in June.