Katelin’s story: I wouldn’t be a midwife without the Independent Living Programme

Katelin, 23, is just about to begin her dream career as a midwife, a goal she set herself during the COVID lockdowns, where she created her five-year plan of what she wanted to do with her life and how she could get there. 

The lockdowns were a challenging time for Katelin, spending a huge amount of time alone in her hostel room – however, she wanted to turn this into a positive and use this newfound time to proactively create a guide and vision for her future. She introspected on what she wanted next and what would make her happy and fulfilled. As soon as restrictions ended, she did everything she could to put her plan in place and move towards her goals.

“It was during COVID when I was living in the hostel, we weren’t allowed visitors at all, even after the pandemic restrictions were lifted. It was very lonely and very strict, so I spent a lot of time at home alone and not really talking to anyone. And I just thought, where do I see myself in the next five years if I stay where I am.” 

“Will I be happy if I am in the same position in the next five years? And I thought, what do I want to do with my life? And then I created a plan straight after the pandemic and I went for it because I thought in five years’ time, I’d rather be a lot happier than I am now.”

Now having reached her goal and sticking to her five-year plan, Katelin has taken the time she needs to reflect on her journey and share where she is now.

Leaving the family home

At 17, Katelin left her family home after a culmination of years of challenges within her family relationships which meant that she was no longer able to stay. During this time they were accessing family support and mediation. However, they felt they were not being listened to in terms of their needs and ultimately, for Katelin, it felt like there was only one outcome.

“I left my family home I think just after my 17th birthday, and I was under social care and assigned a social worker. We had had family support involved through the council that we lived in. They weren’t very helpful to be honest. They didn’t really listen to my needs or what was required or needed as we’d had a massive family breakdown that occurred over years. This was the ending point that we all knew was going to happen anyway.”

After leaving her parent’s home, she moved in with her sister, who at the time was living in a studio apartment with her young child. It wasn’t suitable in the long-term for Katelin due to the lack of space, and so she and her support worker began to identify other options. 

Because of her age, she couldn’t be put on the council housing register, but also, they were unable to find a foster home that could take her in. She was left in a difficult grey area where she didn’t have any appropriate options. For Katelin, she feels this in between stage is forgotten about by councils and the government – as though it was impossible for someone her age to be in this situation. 

“I lived with my sister for a little while, but she was living in a studio flat with her daughter, so it wasn’t ideal. So, my options were then incredibly limited because I was 17 so putting me in foster care was a bit challenging but then you’re also not 18 so they can’t you on the housing register and it was all really up in the air. It’s like they think you can’t be homeless if you’re under 18.” 

Just before her 18th birthday, her support worker was able to get her into a hostel so that she could have her own space. However, as she was under 18, she was unable to access housing benefits and had to work long hours to be able to afford the weekly rent on the room. She was grateful to move out but felt frustrated by the lack of support she could access before she reached adulthood.

“There are so many strict regulations around age as well. My social worker was incredible, and they did eventually manage to get me into a hostel. When I first moved into the hostel, I want to say that I was 18, but I really don’t think I was. I think they kind of just said to move in because I was almost 18 but I couldn’t claim housing benefit which is crazy to me. I was working seven days a week to pay my rent because I couldn’t claim any support until I was 18.”

Moving into a hostel

After moving into the hostel, Katelin continued to speak with the council about finding her a more appropriate longer-term property. However, as she had been given a room in the hostel, the council no longer saw her as a priority need and was not provided with any further support from the,. 

She took this time to think about what she wanted next from life and the steps that she would take to her there, which is where her dream of becoming a midwife began – knowing that she would need to go back to university and study to achieve her goals. She lived in the hostel for around two years, continuing to look for alternative housing options and making sure to work throughout so that she could try and create some savings.

“I was in the hostel for around two years, and COVID obviously didn’t help, but I was there for a substantial amount of time. I worked throughout my whole time there. I was still struggling with the council and couldn’t get on the housing register because in their eyes I was housed because I was living in a hostel. It was a case where I would have to turn up with my bags in my hand.”

It was whilst she was living in the hostel that her support worker let her know that Centrepoint were soon to be opening an Independent Living Property very close by to where she was living. 

As she had been living there for two years, she had been able to demonstrate to the hostel that she had the skills to live independently. When she first moved in she was in a bedroom with shared amenities and by the end of her time there had moved into her own self-contained flat. Because of this, she was put forward as one young person to move from the hostel into the Independent Living Property.

“And then my support worker found out that then building next to mine had been bought by Centrepoint and was being turned into an Independent Living Property. And I got incredibly lucky as the scheme was offered to two people in my hostel – it was me and one other person.”

After putting in the application, as the building was being renovated it took a few months to find out if she had been accepted onto the programme, which gave her time to prepare to move on. She was grateful during this time to have her support worker with her as she took this huge stride towards independence. After finding out she had been accepted, she went for a viewing of the property and selected which flat she wanted to move into. 

“My support worker said that the independent living scheme would be great for you because it’s no different to what you’re doing now. So, we put in the application, and it took a while for it to go through as they had just bought the building, so they had to renovate it all. But I found out a few months later and I went for a viewing with my support worker – I didn’t have my family around at the time because my family situation was still incredibly complicated. But I went with my support worker to do the viewing and then I picked my flat and after that things moved fairly quickly.”

When she went to see the new flat, it was an overwhelming experience for her. After leaving her home and then living in temporary accommodation, which at times did not feel safe as a young woman on her own, knowing that she finally was getting the support she wanted and deserved was an emotional experience.

“I remember the day that I went to go and view the flat, I actually cried on my way home because I was so overwhelmed. I felt relieved for that support and that it was finally there because I’d been living in the hostel for over two years, and it wasn’t a nice environment with lots of antisocial behaviour.” 

Finding a home with Independent Living

After being accepted onto the scheme, Katelin’s mind was whirring with possibilities and what she might need to prepare as she moved into her new home. After not being able to accrue too many pieces of homeware in her old room, she was worried about getting together everything she might need to make her place her own. However, when she moved into the flat, she was paired with a housing officer, who was able to quickly relax her mind and take off any pressure she was feeling.

She was grateful to have them there to guide her through the transition into her new home and make sure that she felt supported through each step as she settled in and got used to her surroundings.

“When I first found about the move the first thing, I was thinking was oh my gosh I need to get a fridge, I need a cooker, I don’t even own a hoover, I don’t own plates or this or that or anything. But everyone made me feel really at ease about that. My support worker was like; you’ll literally have everything you could possibly need and there’s no need to stress about that. All you need to do is just get yourself moved in and sign the contract and that sort of thing.” 

“The transition was incredibly easy which I think is very important to mention and you feel that support instantly. And I felt that support the whole three years that I lived in a Centrepoint property.”

Compared to living in the hostel, her new home came with a dedicated support team there to help with any questions and trained specifically to work with young people. During the first couple of months as Katelin got used to her new home and paying bills, they were always on hand to assist with any questions.

After this initial move in, the team decided to take a step back as Katelin had shown that she was comfortable and confident in managing all the aspects of her tenancy. She appreciated them giving her the independence to grow those skills alone – but also knowing that they were only ever a phone call away if she needed them.

“My support worker – the person who manages each independent living property was there when I moved in, and they were there to talk to me throughout my tenancy. The first month or so I lived there we were in contact quite regularly. They do a six week check in where they come to your flat and see how you’re doing but after that, you’re on your own but not in a bad way at all.”

“It taught me how to manage my own bills. It taught me how to manage council tax, my water bills and all these things that I’d never had to do before. I was on my own doing them, but I knew that I had somebody there who I could go to if I didn’t understand what something meant.”

Starting her midwifery degree

Whilst living in the Independent Living Property, Katelin saw this as the perfect opportunity to take steps towards her goal of being a midwife. However, to do this, it would mean that she had to stop working and become a full-time student – being a student midwife means working a full 9-5 every day to gain the skills and experience needed to pass exams and be ready to move into any hospital.

Typically, Independent Living Properties are designed for young people who are working full time and will soon be ready to move into their own properties. However, Katelin explained her situation and that living in this property would give her the stability she needed to be able to open even more doors for her career down the line. Leaving would mean going into student accommodation and then having to go through the council again, which might take years to find somewhere appropriate to live.

After advocating her case and explaining how this would support her to be more independent in the future, the team agreed that this was the best decision for her and extended her tenancy until the end of her degree.

“Originally you couldn’t be a student living at the property, but I was already living there at the time, and I made my argument that if I don’t do my degree now then I probably would never be able to do it. If I took student accommodation, then I’d be in the same position with the council. The scheme was really accommodating, understanding and supportive of my decision. They gave everybody the opportunity to use the accommodation to suit how they needed it.”

When she first started her degree, as she had lost her regular income it meant that she was struggling to pay her bills on time and was frequently getting into arrears. She brought this up with the team as she was conscious of making sure that her student loan would cover all her outgoings and that she was not falling behind on any payments. 

They looked at the schedule of when her loan came in and got her in contact with the finance team to make sure that they could create a plan that worked for her. Being able to speak with the team and explain her situation so they could adjust when she paid her bills, helped to alleviate some stress and mean she could focus on her course.

“When I was a student and I was living there, I really struggled at first with managing my bills because I was getting paid termly not monthly. I didn’t know what was going on, but my account kept falling into arrears. But my support worker put me through to the finance team and they helped me to manage how to pay my bills. We figured out how to pay my rent on the date so that I would always be in credit.” 

She’s been grateful for the changes they were able to make to accommodate her studies and mean that she could complete her course. She sees the Independent Living Programme and the support they were able to offer her as a huge part of her journey in allowing her to become a qualified midwife.

“I wouldn’t be able to say that I’m a midwife now if it wasn’t for me living at the independent living scheme because doing a degree just wouldn’t have been feasible whilst working a full-time job. You can’t really do that with midwifery because it’s very practical and hands on.” 

Thinking to the future

In June of last year, Katelin moved out from her flat after three years of living in the property. She moved in with her partner, leaving the city she called home and moving to another county. She’s grateful for the change in scene and being able to be somewhere a little more peaceful. After years of temporary housing, moving between jobs and completing her degree, she says she feels ready for a quieter life.

“I just crave the quiet life now – I’ve obviously had such a busy life previously that I really crave the quietness and the peacefulness.”

She’s just about to start her new role as a midwife in a hospital, having just graduated, looking forward to continuing with all the skills she has developed during her training and helping people to bring their children into the world. Once she’s settled in her job, her and her partner will begin to look at places to move into so that they can have their own space.

She feels prepared to take this next step, having learnt a lot whilst living in the Independent Living Property about how to manage her bills and support herself and is ready to put those skills into use when they find the right place for them.

“I don’t feel anxious about it, and I don’t feel stressed about it. I feel like I know what I have to do and how to manage my finances. I just feel like how any other adult should feel at this point in their lives. This is the time that most adults would start to move out from their family home, and they’d feel prepared for that. I’ll probably say I’m in the same position.”

For Katelin, she recognises that finding out about Centrepoint and the Independent Living Programme was a lucky coincidence as the property opened close to the hostel she was living in. But after doing some bar work, she was able to share with other young people going through similar experiences about different types of support out there. 

For her, networking and being able to talk to others about your situation means that more doors might be opened to you, and you can find out about the different types of support that might be available. Knowing from her own experiences that councils might not be able to offer the kinds of support that young people need, she urges other young people to try and reach out to other avenues of support.

“For me, I think networking is really important. I know it sounds silly, but I used to do bar work, and I’ve worked with a few young people who were in a similar position to me, and you never would have known unless you managed to have a conversation, and I managed to refer them to Centrepoint. Centrepoint kind of fell into my lap in a sense and I didn’t go out and find it, I never got referred. But I would suggest networking, getting in touch with charities and actively looking elsewhere other than just relying on what the government options are.”

We wish Katelin all the best with starting in her career as a midwife and with finding her new home in the new future.