One of our advisers has recently left Into Work to move on to the next chapter in her career. She received a piece of artwork that one of her clients had created during a tough time out of paid work. This story highlights the positive impact paid work can have on peoples lives. We hope you enjoy.
Story
“I was having a really tough time of things. I had an appointment at the Job Centre and only had an hour to get there. I had no money to my name and no bus fare so had to run to get there in time. At the meeting the job coach was telling me about permitted work and I thought that would never be me, no one wants to hire me. I left the job centre and I was going to go home but I remembered I had no electric for heating and no money to top it up so I decided to walk around for a bit instead to stay warm.
I walked along to Newhaven harbour and looked out at the sea and it just looked so grey. Everything looked damp & dreary and just made me feel miserable. A few days later I got my benefit money & I painted this picture to remind me that no matter how bad things got they wouldn’t be as bad as this again. I looked at it frequently when times were tough and it made me feel a bit better.
Since getting support from Into Work, I’ve got a job and started earning a wage through permitted work. I have just bought plane tickets for my first holiday in years and I am feeling so positive about everything. I don’t need the painting anymore because of everything that’s happened since we started working together. I want you to have this to remind you that no matter what happens, things could be worse.”
