Early in December the Charitable Trust I work for received a plea for help from John (not his real name). After years in care, and then prison (for non-sexual, violent or drug related offences), he had recently moved from supported housing into a council bungalow. He was living mostly in his bedroom. With no cooker, curtains, sofa, or anywhere to dry his clothes, and no flooring save concrete tiles, he couldn't face the rest of his house. John is 65.

The Trust couldn't help him, because he lived outside our area and because he's an individual, not an organisation. But I asked if I might visit to see if anything else could be done? John bravely said yes, and my husband and I went over to meet him. The bungalow was even worse than I'd anticipated. It was the sort of damp cold that gets in your bones. The walls were a mishmash of very old paint & wallpaper. Bedsheets were hung as makeshift curtains. One of the panes of glass on his front door was patched up with plywood. His only means of making hot food was a microwave, which had just packed up. The photo above is of John's sitting room on the day we visited.

We took him food shopping. We got him a new microwave and a heated clothes dryer. We got him some trainers, as the only other shoes he owned were crocs. All the while we were talking and by the end of the day it felt like we'd known him forever. I wish you could meet him: he's tremendously polite, bright, brave, kind, very funny, interested and interesting. And deeply vulnerable. He's a talented singer and songwriter. He's also been beaten, abused, robbed & mistreated in every way you could imagine (and some you couldn't).

Appalled by John's situation, ever since that day I've been doing what I can to find help for him, and - do you know what? - I've been depressed by how hard it is. Many organisations (our own included!) will not fund individuals, as the risks are too high. John has sent applications to over 150 different charities and been turned down by all of them for just this reason.

The council have given him £250 worth of vouchers - laughably to furnish his whole house - and told him he was lucky to get even that. We've ordered curtain tracks and curtains for him, and hope to be able to find at least a secondhand cooker and sofa relatively cheaply, but flooring?? I've drawn blank after blank on this so far. It has to be hard flooring, as John has 2 dogs. According to my rough sums, even the cheapest of cheap vinyl flooring throughout the house would cost 4 figures with fitting. This is the main thing I'm hoping to raise money for. Beyond that, there are a myriad things: I've already mentioned the sofa and cooker, but he has no wardrobe either, let alone any of the basic comforts that makes a house feel like a home. In a dream world he would also be able to buy crucial kit to make the Christian and anti-drug albums he's been working on, which he might be able to sell to raise further funds. (John has willingly foregone food in the past to scrimp and save for small bits of equipment.)

John and I have been emailing daily since we visited him. I've heard some of his music, learned more about his family and background, and even seen photos of his wedding back in the day. I've understood just how determined he is never to return to prison again, and why. The more I learn about John, the more I want a better life for him. If you're able to donate to help me achieve this, THANK YOU. And I promise I'll keep my beady eye on all expenditure, squeeze every penny of value out of it, and keep everyone posted. If you're not able to give, I understand 100%, but perhaps you could forward this to someone who can? Perhaps, if you're in the Stourbridge area, you know how to fit a floor, or paint a wall, or repair/replace cracked bathroom tiles? Perhaps you're aware of a local recording studio that might let John use their facilities for free? Or - the holy grail - perhaps you can help us get John the Yamaha PSR SX920 arranger keyboard that would enable him to make quality music at home?

With many, many thanks for reading - and for funding if you can, & forwarding if you can't.

With very best wishes, & all my fingers crossed

Susannah Norbury