Our blog is a safe space where we discuss the things that really matter to us: young people, housing, government policy, our campaigns and our research.
It's where we ask the difficult questions, demystify the jargon, discuss the topics that affect young people most and give you a glimpse of our day-to-day as a youth homelessness charity.
The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented risks to all, but those experiencing or at risk of homelessness are especially vulnerable. Charities like Centrepoint, Depaul UK and St Mungo’s which directly provide accommodation for people who are homeless are determined to do everything it takes to maintain the high level of service we deliver all year round, yet the sector needs vital support from the government to do this.
Today is World Mental Health Day and, coincidentally, World Homelessness Day. And while mental health and homelessness are certainly not mutually exclusive, it’s often the case that poor mental health can feed into homelessness and vice versa. With this in mind, we thought there was no better time to speak to our Senior Psychotherapist, Stephen Geale, who works as part of London’s Health & Wellbeing team, about what it’s like to work for Centrepoint and why mental health services are such an important part of what we offer.
Over the past few months, Centrepoint has started an important journey to implement a ‘Psychologically Informed Environment’ (PIE) across the organisation. Consultant Clinical and Forensic Psychologist Dr Helen Miles explains what this will mean for the charity and our homeless young people.
Elena Derbyshire, Mental Health Advisor at Centrepoint, explains how we can challenge mental health stigma and how we can get people talking about mental health in an open and accepting way.
Christmas is often a difficult time for the young people we support at Centrepoint. Elena Derbyshire, Mental Health Advisor, explains how we empower young people and help them to begin their recovery.
This year, 25 November-10 December marks the international campaign of 16 Days Against Domestic Violence. Marianne and Hayley, healthy relationship advisors at Centrepoint, explain our work supporting young people to spot the warning signs of abuse and identify behaviours that make them feel unsafe.
Nadeen Haidar and Isabel Rice, Centrepoint's dietitians, introduce The Food Point – our pioneering new project to ensure all our young people have access to healthy meals.
