Eli's Story: One day I hope to open my own restaurant

Becoming homeless

Eli describes a rough and stressful upbringing. His parent’s split when he was 12 and he moved between them, but as he got older, things became increasingly fraught.

“My mum and I fell out and I was kicked out. I went to live with my dad, but that was awful and I went back to my mum. This pattern repeated itself until it was unworkable to live with either of them.”

Eli was just 18 when he became homeless. He heard about Centrepoint from a friend and was advised to approach the council for an official referral. Soon after he had an assessment and moved into one of the services in Yorkshire.

Eli was homeless for a few weeks before securing housing with Centrepoint.

“For the first night, I was on the streets,” he explains. “I went to the late night McDonalds and I stayed there until around 2am ordering coffees until I couldn’t stay there anymore. I walked all the way from Bradford to Shipley. My Dad had a tent set up by the canal near where he worked. It had been raining all night and the tent was soaking wet so I huddled up in what clothes I had with me and tried to sleep, but it was impossible.”

After that, Eli was able to sneak back into his dad’s place while he was away on holiday and get his affairs in order and then he sofa surfed with a friend until he moved into the Centrepoint service.

Although this was a challenging for Eli, he remembers feeling motivated and empowered.

“It was difficult, scary and stressful, but I also felt relieved because I was out of a bad situation,” he remembers. “I had the opportunity to be independent and I didn’t see any point in wasting time feeling sorry for myself.  I saw it as a wake-up call. I made a list on my phone of everything I needed to do to get myself sorted. Two years later, I feel like I’m on the right track.”

Eli explains that this proactive approach was something he developed through his experiences growing up. Although this was hard as a child, it meant he was able to face challenges head on.

“When my parents split up, I had to look after myself so I grew up quickly,” he explains.  “I often had to cook for myself  and now I’m an apprentice chef. As a child, I had to fend for myself but it has meant I’m more independent and has led me to the things I am passionate about now.”

Support from Centrepoint

When Eli first came to Centrepoint, he was grateful to the staff for putting him at ease and making him feel at home.

“It was a really easy process. They settled me in, showed me my room and I was introduced to my key worker Emma,” he says.

“The staff here have been an absolute godsend,” Eli continues. “I always knew that if I needed support with anything, I had someone to message. But I also like the fact that at Centrepoint they give you space to get on with your life and don’t mollycoddle and monitor you the whole time. That made me feel more comfortable. “

Since living at Centrepoint, Eli has had support with employment, training finances amongst other things.

“When I first came to the foyer, I didn’t really want the support. I just wanted a bed and somewhere safe to sleep and then to get out of there. I thought I could figure it all out myself.”

Eli admits that initially he didn’t engage with the CP Works team.  Michelle, his jobs, education and training advisor would reach out to Eli with jobs and to set up meetings, but Eli wasn’t in the right space to engage. As he says, “I wasn’t really committed at this point.”

After a year at the service, he made an application to a private school to do a catering apprenticeship, but after being strung along for months and then rejected, he lost confidence and didn’t seek work again for a few months. However, the day came when he decided he needed to take control of his future.

“I had the realisation that I had worth and that I needed to move forward. I started speaking to Michelle and looking at the things she was sending me. She got me into that zone of engaging again and being proactive and eventually I found the apprenticeship that I am in now.”

Once Eli had started his catering and hospitality apprenticeship, Michelle helped him access the Centrepoint Bursary to fund chef’s clothing, a laptop and chef’s equipment.

 “Now I have everything I need,” he says. “The first thing I got was smart clothes for the interview – a smart jacket and shoes. Then I was able to get chefs tunics, trousers, aprons and specific shoes. More recently, Michelle was able to help me apply for a laptop and backpack so I could complete the coursework side of my apprenticeship and access remote learning. I would have really struggled to afford those things myself and it’s been a total weight off my shoulders and meant I can focus on my apprenticeship.”

Today, Eli is loving his apprenticeship and looking forward to the future.

“I’m totally invested in what I am doing. I find it enjoyable and rewarding - even pot washing and cleaning! I get to spend my days cooking and learning which is what I love. It can be stressful, but I would rather be stressed about something I love than miserable doing something I hate.”

Future plans

In the future, Eli has plans to open his own restaurant and the steps needed to get there.

“Right now, I’m want to learn as much as I can. I have lots of technical knowledge to soak up. It’s really motivating knowing where I want to get to.”

“Once I finish my apprenticeship, I plan to cook in the UK for a few years and then I want to go to Italy to learn some skills there before returning to get some fine dining experience. I want to travel and gain knowledge from different places so that eventually, I have the expertise to set up my own restaurant that services British classics like Beef Wellington, stews and pies, but with a global, modern twist.”

“It’s great to feel ambitious; to have this job and know where I’m going. It has been so helpful having the support to get to this space and be in this mindset. Even though I am living quite independently, I know I’m not alone, I know that I have a support system there.”

Since moving to Centrepoint, the relationship between Eli and his mum has had the space to heal and he says it has never been better. He is currently living in a self-contained flat at Centrepoint and finishes his apprenticeship in Sept 2025. 

Centrepoint 2024 Awards

Eli was nominated by both his JET worker Michelle and key worker Emma for a 2024 Centrepoint Award to recognise the amazing progress he has made. He was a finalist and had the opportunity to attend the Awards at the British Museum in London where he met Centrepoint’s Patron, Prince William. He says this was an unforgettable experience.

Both Emma and Michelle are incredibly proud of Eli. As Emma says, “to see the amount of effort Eli is putting into making every day a success is wonderful. To see him thriving now is the reason I do this job.” Well done Eli and good luck for the future!