Lily, 20, reached out the helpline after she was kicked out of her partner’s sister’s home. She sofa surfed with a family friend who recommended she called the Helpline and Lily reached out for support. With the support of the Helpline and her local MP, she’s now living in shared accommodation and is excited to have a space of her own.
Reaching out to the helpline
Over the last year, Lily 20, moved around from home to home after she was kicked out for her mum’s house following a breakdown in their relationship. She then moved in with her partner’s family, but as she was struggling with her mental health, which often came out in bursts of anger, she was asked to leave their home.
She subsequently moved in with her partner’s sister. However, they soon found out that they were unable to live together, and she was asked to leave. “I’ve had quite a bumpy start to life.”
A family friend who had known Lily since childhood offered her a place to stay and together they reached out to the Centrepoint Helpline. When Lily dialled the Helpline, Ethan, a Centrepoint Helpline advisor, answered her call. He listened to her as she explained her living situation, and where she had tried to get support.
Lily let Ethan know that she had reached out to her local council for a homelessness assessment and help into temporary accommodation, but she had heard nothing back from them. “The council were just not getting back to us, and we were just waiting for weeks and weeks and weeks”.
Contacting local MPs
Ethan was able to advocate for Lily, and reach out to the local authority, as well as different supported accommodations, to find a suitable placement for her. However, Ethan faced similar struggles in not hearing back or was told that the placements were full, which meant that it was challenging to find somewhere where Lily could be placed.
Whilst Ethan was speaking with the authorities and trying to find Lily appropriate accommodation, Lily reached out to her MP. She explained her situation and how she wasn’t getting any response and support from her local authority. Her MP quickly responded and reached out to the council, sharing her story and applying some necessary pressure to make sure that Lily got the support she needed and deserved.
“The MP was trying to push things along because the council was just not getting back to us about a place or saying it would just be another week. But another week would go by and it still hasn’t come. But once the MP got involved, they got off their backside and started to help which was incredibly helpful”.
Finding her new home
After getting support from the Helpline and her local MP to find suitable accommodation, the council were eventually able to find her a room in an all-female home and Lily is setting in well to her new house.
“It’s really nice and the girls here are really nice and respectful. They’re all so understanding, and I have a support worker and a social worker as well. They’re both so helpful and they really understand my needs”.
She’s currently decorating her room and making it feel more homely each day, filling it with her artwork, furniture and anything related to her favourite animal, ducks. “I love, love, love ducks. They’re literally my favourite animal in the world and so my whole room is just filled with ducks!”
Mental and physical health
Lily, who struggles with agoraphobia, ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD and ARFID was grateful to have the support of her family friend, partner and Ethan during this time. Their combination of support meant that she could navigate this emotionally complex and challenging situation.
“My partner is very supportive, and he understands my mental health. He understands in the moment, and he puts in so much support. He helps to motivate me to get out of bed or make food and clean up my room and everything. He’s a really good partner to have.”
Lily remembered how supportive Ethan was when helping her work through her situation and gave her the time and space she needed to process what was happening. “He was so helpful and supportive, especially with my mental and physical health and everything as well. He took it slow and was really understanding of everything.
“When I was on the phone with him, he was so quick at responding and he would always put me through to the right person. The amount of support he gave me was really helpful and it’s stuck with me I would say.”
Being in her own space and working closely with her support and social worker has meant that she can get the support she needs with her mental health, something that was not available to her before.
“I’ve been struggling a lot with my mental health, and I am only now getting the support for it. I’m getting a lot of support that I didn’t know was available before. Having this support is really helpful for me. It means I can try and take another step forward in my life and try and get out there a lot more.”
Looking to the future
When looking to the future and what she wants to achieve now that she’s got a space of her own and is getting the help she needs, she has a clear goal in mind.
“I definitely want to try and get back out into the world because I’m not going out as much at the moment. It’s quite a struggle for me because I’m not seeing my friends as much and I’m putting off things like doctor’s appointments.”
“I’ve stopped seeing my family because of how much my anxiety is affecting me but I feel with all the support that I’m getting and with the help of the therapists and the counselling support, I feel like I’ll be able to get back out there and be my normal self again.”
Lily’s advice for young people who might be facing similar difficulties was to always “try to ignore the bad and the bad people, as I like to call them, and try your best to focus on the good. Try to be as confident as possible and not to worry about what other people think about you”.
We’re so pleased that Lily has found a place to call home and is getting the help and support she needs. We wish her all the best with the future!
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