Tiah's story: From feeling stuck to looking forward

Coming to Centrepoint

Tiah, 18, came to Centrepoint following difficulties in her relationship with her mum. “As I got older, I started to clash with my mum a lot because we’re just so alike. I would get in trouble, or the police would have to escort me out of the house, and it got to the point where we had a massive argument, and my mum didn’t want me back home”.

Tiah was then moved into care where she stayed until her 18th birthday. She was then referred to a Centrepoint home and has been living there since. Moving into the service was difficult at first and she struggled to get used to her new surroundings. However, she recognised that having her own space, where she could grow, could be positive for her.  

“At first it was difficult, and I hated it so much. But I think having somewhere to have a space and be by myself works a lot better for me”.

Feeling stuck

Tiah had been in her hairdressing job for six months before she contracted sciatica, which caused her extreme pain. She pushed through the pain for a few more months, but when it was too much to handle, she sadly had to leave her job. Not having her job left feeling stressed about money and, as someone who wants to be prepared for anything that could happen, she felt uncertain about the future.

“It’s hard but it’s ok. At the moment, I’m just looking, trying to get myself together again because I feel so useless about not working. Since I’ve left school, I’ve been so used to having a job, so when I did leave my job and I had nothing, I was so stuck”. 

To help her feel less stuck and give her some forward momentum, she’s begun to look out for roles that might work for her, when she’s ready to work again. She’s open to new experiences, different kinds of roles and seeing what might be open to her. “I’m quite open at the moment because I don’t really know what I like, being I haven’t experienced trying new things yet. So, I’m just a bit open”. 

Alongside looking for roles, together with her key worker, she has been identifying and developing skills in managing finances and living independently which will help her when she’s ready to move into her own accommodation. “I’ve learnt with Centrepoint how to manage my money. I have conversations with my key worker about real things in life that I need to know, so I think staying here is helping a lot for when I do then move onto my permanent house”.

Making her space her own

This year every young person staying at a Centrepoint home was gifted a voucher to style and personalise their room. For Tiah, having the voucher came at a good time to help take some pressure off and give her an opportunity to make the space her own. “When I was told I had the voucher, it came at a perfect time and I was like, OK, this is good, I can start somewhere. I said, I’m going to take this as an opportunity and now I’ve got a few bits it’s making me want to do the room up even more and make it homier”.

With the voucher she bought herself some new storage boxes, bedding and pillows, some clothes hangers, a white fluffy rug, photo frames and a couple of standing colour-changing LED lights. Having all of these new things around her, she says, have helped the room feel “a bit more homey”. 

After finding it hard to adjust to her new home, having a few personalised things around her helped Tiah to feel more settled, and had a benefit to her wellbeing. “It’s like when I wake up now, I have my nice pillows and it’s comfortable and cosy here. I just feel a bit more at peace, because it’s almost like my room at my mum’s house. Now I’ve got stuff with me that are mine it’s making me happier in general.”

Having to leave the family home and quickly step into independence was an unexpected and daunting experience for Tiah. But she says that having a few new things that she picked for herself and that she can take with her when she moves on is important to keep her motivated and help her reach her goals. 

“This whole journey is new for me. I've obviously never done this before and I just thought moving on, even from my care home to come here was going to be so hard. I’m just on my own. I have to do everything by myself. So, to know that you’ve helped me out a bit, so when I do move on to getting my new home, I'm not just stuck with nothing. I've got a few things to start with and it makes you more motivated to want to do more”.

Moving forward 

Since moving to Centrepoint, Tiah’s confidence and skills around living independently have gone from strength to strength and that her feelings of being stuck are starting to fade away. “Staying here has helped a lot with going into the adult world. It's nice to know that there's people there that can help you and show you things like paying rent and stuff, which I thought it was so simple but there’s so much more to it that I didn’t know. I know I'm not going to be stuck or not know anything.” 

Tiah says with the support from Centrepoint she doesn’t feel so on her own with entering into adulthood and has been given just the right level of advice so that she can grow on her own and get help when she needs it. “I'm not going straight out into the world, and I have to be independent, and everything's all dumped on me. With Centrepoint, they would treat us like an adult and they’re there to help but they don’t do everything for us, and they give us that independence”. 

Having her own space and being able to grow independently has also helped her to rebuild and mend the relationship with her mum. “I’m able to come home sometimes with my mum now and my brother and we don’t bicker because I have that space. I’m not with her all the time, so it makes going back to my accommodation now something I want to do, and I actually enjoy it because I want to go to my own space”.

We’re very proud of the progress Tiah has made with taking those challenging steps towards independent living and we wish her all the best for her exciting future ahead.