When we last worked with Clive about five years ago, he had been relatively settled. We’d helped him off the street and together found a place in a housing association property. We helped him pay for the rent in advance payment he needed to move in and later when he was working, Clive took it upon himself to pay back every penny.

But not long before Christmas last year, Clive knocked on our door. Things hadn’t been going well. He had been sleeping rough in London, spending his nights in a cardboard box. He had decided to return to Wycombe where he had some friends but moreover knew us, hoping we might help him again.

We took some time to help Clive explore his options. He was getting some benefits but when we spoke to Clive’s previous housing provider who said he had accrued rent arrears which meant some types of support would not be available to him and so we placed Clive into our winter emergency accommodation.

Emergency accommodation fills a very specific gap, making sure vulnerable people are not on the street in the coldest months or at other times of the year. But it has limitations and people can often get stuck, finding it impossible to settle as they can’t make it their own home.

Our aim is to make sure people spend as little time in emergency accommodation as possible, helping them move into supported living facilities and more permanent homes as quickly as possible, a tough challenge when there is so little affordable and suitable accommodation locally.

But for now in our winter shelter Clive had a room to himself, a safe, warm place to stay and in a cold, wet, long winter this was – we think – life saving for a man of Clive’s age, late 50s, with the health conditions he has.

Another downside is that winter accommodation closes in March and by that time Clive hadn’t managed to find a more permanent home. We knew he was still vulnerable and so advocated for him and he was placed in temporary accommodation by one of our partners – another step in the right direction, but again, not a permanent solution.

We brought together more organisations who could help. Clive received food through the foodbank, health support via our homeless health worker and the NHS, and help to look for a longer-term property by Connection Support.

It has been a long six months of work for Clive, us and our partners, but just as we put this pack to print, he has able to take up a place in a private rented home. We believe in second chances, and third and fourth.

In fact, we never give up on anyone.