There’s no time to lose. The mental health of homeless young people has been deteriorating rapidly since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. The clock is ticking and their lives are at risk. We cannot let them down. Please support Centrepoint so we can adapt and expand our mental health services to meet the growing demand.
Since the first lockdown last March, we’ve seen a 40% increase in demand for our mental health services. The sooner we can reach young people with vital support, the sooner they can begin to recover, but sadly waiting times have increased – in some cases from two weeks to two months. That means homeless young people are being left to struggle without the help they need.
17-year-old Zara* became homeless at the beginning of last year. Her relationship with her mum had always been difficult, and it got much worse after Zara’s dad left. Eventually, Zara’s mum kicked her out. With nowhere else to turn she found herself sofa surfing with friends.
When the first lockdown came into force, Zara could no longer rely on her friends’ sofas. She ended up sleeping rough in the middle of a deadly pandemic. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, she spent several nights in a disused garage.
Thankfully, Zara found the courage to contact Centrepoint. Thanks to the support of people like you, she started a regular course of therapy to help her cope with her anxiety and depression. Sadly, many other young people are still struggling without support they need and waiting times for our mental health services have increased – in some cases from two weeks to two months.
We have seen a 40% increase in homeless young people like Zara in need of mental health support since last March. Will you make a life-saving donation today?
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the young person.
Centrepoint is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. Together with our partners, we work with more than 14,000 homeless young people each year. Our trained psychotherapists offer mental health support that helps young people leave the trauma of homelessness behind. We also provide the accommodation and life skills that can be the turning point a young person needs to change their life. We want to end youth homelessness in the UK.
