Brian’s story: Just never, never give up

Coming to Centrepoint

Brian, 19, reached out for support from the council when a breakdown in the relationship with his family meant he was made to leave his home. Not knowing where to turn to, he explained his living situation to them and that he needed emergency housing support – however, his local council said they weren’t able to help him. 

Feeling deflated by the conversation, he remembered they mentioned Centrepoint as a potential avenue for housing and he took it upon himself to look and see where else he could find support. After a quick search, he found the number for the Centrepoint Helpline.  

He reached out through email, explaining his situation and how the council had not been able to support him. Before long, a team member emailed him back and was able to offer him some personalised advice and potential next steps so that he could access safe and stable housing as quickly as possible. 

“I had family problems which obviously can happen – it could happen to everyone. But when you’re young, it gets to you a bit too much and then you just end up getting kicked out. So, when you get kicked out, you end up coming into places like Centrepoint that actually help people.”

“I think originally the council told me a bit about it and then I searched it up and read about it. That’s when I got in contact after sending over an email and that’s when they got back in contact with me.”

After a few emails were exchanged, the Helpline team were able to identify that there were a few options available to him, one of which being a Centrepoint supported home in his area which had an available room. Before long, Brian went along to see the room and accepted the place the very same day, quickly moving in his stuff and getting settled into his new home.

“They offered me a room pretty much straight away after I found out. With the council they didn’t really help as much – they could only help the best they could and then that’s when they decided that Centrepoint would be really good option.” 

“And then when Centrepoint got in contact with me, they basically offered me a room straight away. As soon as I viewed the room, they said I could have it on the very same day. And ever since then, I’ve been here. It was a very very quick process that happened.”

Brian wasn’t sure what to expect from his new space – going from his family home into a supported accommodation felt like a big change, especially as he hadn’t heard positive stories about similar places.

“I’d read up about places like this and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was a bit nervous because normally when you think of places like this, you don’t really think anything good about it. And normally from other people’s opinions, you think it’s going to be a hard time or you’re not going to like it.” 

However, as soon as he arrived, met with the team and got settled in his space, he realised how different Centrepoint was from what he had read about similar homes and that this was the right place for him.

“But then I think when you come to Centrepoint, it’s a different experience. It’s a lot better than what people would think it would be like.”

Working towards his qualifications

As soon as he moved in, he began working with his key worker to identify what his plans were for the future and what he might need to do to reach those goals, looking at his qualifications and experience as a base to build on. 

One of the first things that Brian knew he would value some one-to-one support with was his maths to help him get his Level 1. He began working with Tom, a Centrepoint Trainer, to get some personalised advice and guidance for him to pass his exams.

“From the first day I moved in, they asked me about my education and if I’m enrolled in any jobs of anything. Then once I spoke to them about my education, that I had recently come out of college, they immediately set me up to do maths with Tom. And that’s when I started doing my maths and working my way up to Level 1.”

After regularly working closely with Tom to develop his skills and confidence in maths, Brian is ready to sit his exam and take that vital step he needs to move forwards. He’s already thinking about what he might do after he passes his exam, looking at possibly taking the next level qualification, when he feels ready.

Brian didn’t have a good time at college and so having the one-on-one support from Tom and being able to take it at his pace and get the tailored assistance to not only reach his goals but surpass them has been invaluable as he continues in his journey.

“Maths is one thing that I did, and they came in everyday to help me to get that over and sort it out so I could get onto my paper, which I did.”

“I didn’t have a good experience with college, and I’ve not been able to pass my GCSES’s or anything, but I think I want to try and get my level 2 which I’m going to work my way up to with Tom.”

Accessing psychotherapeutic support

Alongside working with Tom, Brian has also been accessing support through the psychotherapist teams, after he disclosed to his key worker that he was struggling to sleep. His key worker was able to make a referral into the team so that he could speak to someone about how he was feeling and together they have been working on coming up with coping techniques to help Brian with his sleeping pattern.

After working together for several sessions, Brian could already feel the difference and has continued to work with his therapist to help him work through a few concerns he has had with his mental health and help to support his mood.

“I’ve been working with the psychotherapist because I was having trouble with my sleep and so that’s when I spoke to my key worker about that and they enrolled me with the psychotherapists to help me out a bit more. I was on the verge of getting my sleep schedule sorted out for when I started work or anything like that. And they did actually help, and I enjoyed working with them.” 

“I’m currently still enrolled with the same therapist for other things just to get more mental health support and get that to a really good level.”

The impact of holistic guidance

Having different avenues of support around him has been really beneficial for Brian, knowing that there are always people on hand to speak to if he needs a boost or some motivation to help him feel back on track. He recently completed some volunteering, which was recommended by his key worker, which helped him to build connections with a local organisation and gain some hands-on experience. 

“I’ve got a good few key workers that I’ve been involved with and they’ve helped me as well as Tom. They just motivate you and they get you to do good things like helping out. I remember one point they asked if I wanted to do some volunteering and honestly it was a good time. They do, and I don’t know how to explain it, but they do motivate you to get you back on your feet and give you all these options and stuff like that.”

Brian even remembers his key workers going above what he expected, finding leaflets and posters for things he might be interested in doing in his letterbox so that there was always something that he could feel like he was working towards. When it came to applying for jobs and making sure he had everything he needed to take those next steps, having the team around him helped him to feel a bit more confident as he put his applications in.

“The key workers used to get posters and slips for jobs and put them under my door. They’d ask you what you want to do for a job and what I’m interested in and then they would help you around finding things like that. Then they helped to apply for apprenticeships and jobs that could become useful.”

Thinking to the future

After working with Tom to get his qualifications and with the support of his key workers around him, he began applying for roles. With an active interest in finding a job in customer service, he applied for a position with a fast food restaurant and soon after was hired for the position. Over the last month, he has been finding his feet and getting settled in his new job – something that has surprised him with how much he has been enjoying it.

“I wanted to go into retail for a major brand because working in those kinds of stories you come across a lot of people every day and also, I like interacting with people because I’m quite confident sometimes. But then I thought, I might give this place a shot and see how it goes and at the moment, I’m actually finding it really good. It does get stressful sometimes, but I think that’s just working!”

“It sounds strange, but I find it quite fun. I’ve been on my feet all day, being around your co-workers all the time, just having a laugh while obviously getting things done at work as well.”

Now that Brian is settled in a job and feeling like he’s taking steps towards his goals, he's started to think about his future and the steps he needs to reach there. After being in his job for a month he’s interested in seeing what a long-lasting career in this sector could be and where it might take him – thinking about owning his own franchise of the restaurant chain one day.

“If I stay in this industry, I’d probably want to work my way up to become a manager and then maybe one day in the future, own my own franchise.”

Alongside thinking about his career goals, he is also planning for his move on and finding a home of his own so he can fully step into his independence. Now that he has his steady income, he’s begun to look at potential housing options in the area – however, he’s trying not to get too set on one place at this stage, whilst balancing being excited for this next step.

“At the moment, I think I’m going to work my way to probably getting my own place. With the money I get from working and stuff like that, I’ll work my way up to getting my own place and moving there.”

“I’m always looking and on Monday I do have a viewing for one place, but I’m not getting my hopes up too much about it because I know tat moving into your own place and stuff like that, you’re not always guaranteed to get the one you want. So, I’m just going to take it slow and see how it goes.”

A personal reflection and advice to others

Reflecting on his own experiences to and with Centrepoint, it has been quite different to what he expected it might be like. He never thought he would be in a situation where he would need housing support but has been grateful that something exists that is age-appropriate, understanding and welcoming for those who need it.  

“Being with Centrepoint, I think it’s a good experience really., I never thought I would be involved in such an environment but everyone’s welcoming and everyone they know how to help and they know when to be there and what to do when there are situations going on and you know how to go to talk to. You can talk to anyone here cos there all key workers and they are there for you. There’s been activities come on and stuff like that. I know for other people when they talk about supported accommodation they think bad things. But I think places like Centrepoint are a completely different thing really.”

When Brian arrived at Centrepoint, he had had the opportunity to develop some independent living skills at his family home – learning a few bits around cooking and cleaning that he could take with him. However, when living in the supported home, he saw that there were many young people who hadn’t had the chance to grow these skills and that having the support of the key workers and different activities around the home, meant that together they could all build or grow these skills that they can take forward.

“When I grew up, I did have some experience of living situations where I was cooking and cleaning and stuff like that – basic things that you can do. And some people are completely new to all that stuff. So, I think when you come to Centrepoint, it kind of builds you that experience for when you are really for independent living and to help you through it and everything else.”

One thing that Brian was grateful for as a skill to develop was around managing his finances, especially after starting his first job. After having not paid rent before and not having to had to manage his in goings and outgoings, knowing that there were people he could speak to for advice and guidance has helped him to feel a bit more confident around looking after this aspect of his life. He’s hoping that the skills he develops with Centrepoint can take him forward when he moves into his own space and help him to save and prepare for his future.

“I came in with a bit of it, but I think the other side is like with rent and where you have to pay charges and stuff. And then when you start working and paying rent and moving on and that experience of what it’s going to be like to move into a new place. I think that’s new for me because I know being in a situation where you have to pay rent and buy your own food. Managing money – like if you’re getting paid or money from the government you’ve got to learnt to save and what you can spend it on and what not to spend it on and they do give you that experience as well.”

Whilst looking back over his own journey, he had some advice for other young people based on his what he has learnt during different aspects of his experiences. For him, he tried his best to channel out the negative comments other people made, focusing purely on his own trajectory and where he wanted to be. 

He’s seen that in his own journey, that it can feel hard to keep pushing forward and that there might not always feel like there is a way through, but that if you keep going, you can achieve your goals.

“I’d say just keep your head down and don’t get bothered by what people say. Any advice that you’re given just take it - any opportunities that you get given just take it as much as you can, and just never, never give up really.”

“All you’ve got to do is just keep on going really. If you’ve had a bit of problems along the way, you’ve got to keep your head up and just keep doing it and just keep pushing forward really.”

Brian’s drive can be seen in his determination to move forwards, get himself on the career ladder and start thinking about his own place - we wish him all the best for his next steps!