When Tara (20) was 18, she fell pregnant with her first child and had to leave home and was referred into one of Centrepoint’s services for young parents. Despite financial struggles and adjusting to the big changes of becoming a mother, two years on, Tara and her son are doing well and living independently.
Finding Centrepoint
Tara became pregnant at 18 and was referred to Centrepoint in November 2022.
“I couldn’t live at home at the time because I wasn’t getting on with my family; it wouldn’t have been a suitable place to bring up the baby and there wasn’t enough space for all of us”, she explains.
During her pregnancy, Tara received advice from her midwife who helped refer her to one of Centrepoint’s young parent’s services.
Support throughout her journey
Tara remembers her first meeting with staff at the service and how welcoming everyone was.
“I was so nervous. I walked in with my little bump and my feet were killing me. I came in, sat down and they told me to rest my feet and explained who they were and showed me around the place. It felt a little bit like an interview so they could try to get to know me, but they made me feel at ease.”
Whilst at Centrepoint, Tara received incredible support from staff members Menna and Rosemary.
“Menna and Rosemary were helpful on my journey; I knew I could talk to them, and they made me feel comfortable. Susan showed me how things worked with housing, bills and anything I didn’t understand.”
Menna says it was an absolute delight to work with Tara and see her grow as a mother.
“Tara always asked relevant questions and showed enthusiasm to grow as a person. Her confidence and independent living skills developed over time and it is wonderful to see her move on to the next stage of her life.”
At Centrepoint, Tara was able to access courses and advice services at Centrepoint. One programme was Moneywise, which helped her learn how to budget and manage money responsibly.
“I’ve always been independent so I had a lot of skills already, but Moneywise helped me as I was still quite new to the benefit world. It’s really helped me learn how to budget which is so important when working with such limited income.”
The challenges of working
One area that Tara found challenging was managing work and benefits. In supported housing, housing benefit will cover the rent, but if a young person is working, they lose their benefits. Often the lower paying jobs that young people can access at the start of their careers, are not enough to cover the rent.
Tara was accustomed to working and being financially independent before she became pregnant. It had always been a priority for her so when that changed, she found it difficult to adjust.
“My world turned upside down. I didn’t want to live on benefits and I was very hard working. I had a job and I was getting regular pay”.
Due to her pregnancy, there were limits on where she could work and how many hours she could do. She had no choice but to go on benefits so that she could access housing benefit to cover her rent.
Being a young mum
Tara is proud to be where she is now and always puts her son’s needs first. She also has some insightful advice for other young parents.
“I think it’s important to choose who you allow into your life when you’re a parent,” she says. “The people around you can influence how you behave, so you need to be strong enough to say no sometimes.”
“It’s normal to have negative feelings during pregnancy as well. When I was close to have my son I didn’t know if I was going to be a good mum, but once I had him all that went away. Remember the bad times aren’t permanent. Ride it out and it will get better.”
Plans for the future
Tara has now moved on from the service. The staff supported her with the transition into her own accommodation and she and her son are flourishing.
Eventually, Tara hopes to get back into work again once her son has started primary school.
“I want to be able to provide him with everything he wants,” Tara says “but it’s difficult to do that on benefits. I have many dreams for the future. I’d like to save up money and move out of London.”
However, for now, Tara is just enjoying this time with her son. “I am really loving life at the moment. He makes me so happy.”
Tara shows incredible maturity and dedication to her son. Undoubtedly, she is an amazing mum and we wish them all the best in the rest of their journey.
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