Thad’s story: Never say never

Facing eviction

Thad, in their mid-20’s, came to Centrepoint after being evicted from the home they were living in with their sister. After being forced to leave, their sister, who had a young child, was able to get priority housing and moved into a new property with the support of the local council. However, Thad was not seen as a priority need and was told that they would have to wait a long time before they were able to get appropriate housing. With no other options, they began sofa surfing with friends whilst trying to find longer-term housing. 

“We were evicted from our old place – me and my sister lived in an apartment. We were evicted because it needed renovating because people were stealing the copper from the walls, so they decided to kick everyone out and then fix the whole thing. My sister was able to find a place pretty quickly because she had a kid and was a priority. I could not and was made homeless.”

Despite months of searching for something suitable, Thad couldn’t find anything that was appropriate and affordable. However, when they found a bedsit had become available, they decided to move in as to not overstay their welcome with their friend. The bedsit was not suitable for them and their needs and was also incredibly expensive, and before long it no longer became a viable option for them to stay.

“After three months of trying to find places, there was nothing, for a month or two I stayed with a friend, and I was just trying to find places. I moved into a bedsit and hated every second it and then I couldn’t stay because it was way too expensive for what it was.”

After leaving the bedsit, they were able to move in with their father for a limited time – something that the hoped would help them to work things out and find more stable housing. However, their father let them know that he would soon be moving and that Thad would not be able to come with them. At this point, Thad’s father suggested they look at Centrepoint as an option and they began the application to move into the supported home.

“I moved in with my dad for about six months to try and get my footing with things again. But then he said that they were moving soon and that the place they were moving to didn’t have enough space for me. I said I was trying to find a place and that’s when he pointed me to Centrepoint.”

Moving to Centrepoint

Thad didn’t know what to expect from Centrepoint but soon realised that it would give them the space they needed to take steps forward, in a safe and stable environment. After having to pay huge amounts for their bedsit, being in a place that was more affordable and offered them support, felt like the place they needed at that time.

“I didn’t have any expectations. I realised it was a place for people who weren’t doing too great, and I wasn’t doing too great. So, I kind of put the two together and felt that I would be fine there.”

“I was apprehensive at first but then I realised it was really reasonable to live there and so I said go on then.”

Compared to the bedsit, Thad felt a lot more comfortable in their new home where they had access to their own bathroom and fridge, something that they were used to sharing. Getting to have their own space and privacy was really important to Thad and helped it to feel like the right place for them.

“It felt like a place where you could trust people a little bit more than the bedsit because people just stole your food from the fridge and would invite people over who weren’t meant to be here. But here I got my own fridge and my own bathroom – I think it was the right place to live to be honest.”

Building key worker relationships

Whilst living with Centrepoint, Thad worked closely with their key workers, Adele and Jay, who helped them to feel a bit more secure in what they were doing and the steps they needed to move forward. This included working together to develop their independent living skills and providing holistic support for all aspects of their emotional and physical wellbeing.

“Mostly just regular meetings to find out how you were doing and how you were holding up and if you had found a place to move into. Jay was a great support system, and I didn’t have long enough with Adele, but she was really lovely – Jay definitely helped a lot.”

When they first arrived at Centrepoint, Thad didn’t have many clothes with them and found that they were often wearing the same thing each day or that their clothes were getting quite worn out. Adele noticed that they wore the same items and together they applied for the Centrepoint bursary, so that Thad could purchase a few new pieces, which they could wear for college.

“It was mostly just for clothes and stuff because I had none – I was wearing the same outfit every day for months.”

Developing their passion for film and TV

Whilst living with Centrepoint, Thad got involved in many of the different activities which were on offer to the young people staying there, including the annual Soapbox race and completing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh. They were encouraged by their key worker, Jay, who put together a cohort of young people to take part in the award, to develop new skills, grow friendships and get some hands-on practical experience of working environments.

Thad, who has had a long-standing interest in working in film and TV, was excited by the opportunity to get to use this passion towards the ‘skills’ portion of the award and set to work developing a film that they could submit. They’ve always felt they had a lot of ideas that would work well for the big screen and had their own way of interpreting the world around them and quickly tried to commit a script to paper.

“I’ve always been interested in movies, and I’ve just wanted to do my own things with them. I’ve got lots of ideas just spinning around – I want to do stuff with them.”

After leaving sixth form, they realised that in their local area there were a few different career avenues that most people took, however none of these routes really appealed to them. 

“I got into it after sixth form because where I was living at the time there wasn’t that much going on – the choices were engineering, business and agriculture and that didn’t really interest me. So, I tried to find other things that sparked my interest because engineering is just really boring to me. Film and media were a route that I saw that was of interest to me.”

After realising that a career in film and TV was an option they could take, they applied for college to get more experience and grow their skillset. However, after applying and getting into the course, it wasn’t quite the right time for them to take this on and they left in their first year. Undeterred they reapplied the next year and achieved distinctions across the board for their work, showing their natural talent for the subject. 

“I tried going to college in 2017, but it just didn’t work out. I tried again the next year, and it worked, and I got all distinctions for everything on my creative media course.”

After completing their qualification, they jumped at the opportunity to take on new opportunities to create films, and when this chance came up to make the short film as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award, they couldn’t wait to be a part of it. 

They took on some of the major roles when it came to making the short film, titled “Monster”, from writing and directing to even making their acting debut. They were also given the opportunity to direct and film with some working actors, who were able to see Thad’s vision with the script and ad-lib some lines to bring the piece to life.

“I helped to make a short film – I directed and wrote it. I did some camera work just to make sure that everything was in line, some set work, some talking to the actors about the script but a lot of it was ad-libbed.”

“Monster” was based on some of the experiences that Thad faced as a child, shining a light on the cycle of abuse from parent to child and the impact this can have on the family and those around them. The film, which is being shown to children, had to be toned down to ensure that it was appropriate for their age group, but Thad has plans to potentially release another version in the future, where they can include more and try out some different audio and visual techniques.

“Childhood memories of the same thing going on – like all about the cycle of abuse. It stemmed from memories of that and made it a bit more child-friendly because we were going to show it to children.”

Moving on from Centrepoint 

Thad has recently moved out of the Centrepoint home they were living in and has been bidding on a council property – although they have found the long waiting times and unsuitable options have left them in limbo as they continue to search for longer-term housing solutions.

“I’ve been bidding for six months now, and I got one the other day, but it was another bedsit, and I don’t want to live in another one so I’m having to wait even longer. I want a place where I can call my own and not live with people I don’t know.”

During this time, Thad has been accessing therapy with a Centrepoint psychotherapist to support them as they work through some challenges that have been impacting them for many years. They’ve found the support beneficial and that the psychotherapist can work with and support them in a way where they can see the process they’re making together.

“I’ve found the therapy good actually – I’ve found a bit of closure on some things. I managed to talk about something that was really troubling me for the last four years, so I think it’s working out. She actually converses with me and helps me to come to conclusions about what’s in my head.”

Thinking about the future

When thinking what they would like to do next, Thad has dreams of going back to college for the next step of their qualification to help them reach their goals of working in media.

“I’m working on trying to go back to college again and get into level 4 next year – it just depends on if I have the money to do it.”

They hope that once they have this higher level of qualification, it might be able to open more doors for them for them to move into a career in TV and film. They have clear aspirations of being able to put their name to a show and feel proud of what they have been able to achieve.

“For the last couple of years, I’ve wanted to work in TV, in the background just working on an actual show – I don’t really care what the show is, I just want my name attached to something I could be proud of.”

As a huge fan of all things horror and sci-fi, they know that this is definitely an area they want to explore in their career. They know how competitive this world can be and are setting their expectations to be realistic about what they can achieve in the next few years and where they might be further into the future.

“I’m a big fan of horror, sci-fi and comedy so if I could attach my name to that I would be so happy, but I don’t think that’s going to happen in the next few years, but it might be a decade down the line.”

Despite some setbacks along their journey, Thad is optimistic about what their future might hold. They recognise that they have all the skills needed to reach their goals and now they are focusing on channelling their energy into making it a reality.

“I never say never. I’m a hopeful person in general and I hope that I can actually achieve my goals. I’ve got all the components.”

We wish Thad all the best with their TV and film aspirations and have seen first-hand their talent with their recent film, “Monster” – we can’t wait to see their name on our screens in the near future.

*Names have been changed to protect identities