Following a family breakdown at 18, Kyle ended up on the streets. With support from Centrepoint, Kyle is now in his own permanent accommodation, has put drugs behind him and is on the path to securing stable employment.
Ed Worley, better known by his artist's name, Opake, battled addiction, homelessness and psychosis in his 20s. It was only the repetition of a creative process that saved him. Now in his 30s and thriving, he wants to share his experience to help others.
Rich, 25, experienced three periods of homelessness since the age of 17. Despite the uncertainty and instability, he has kept on moving forward and he is now in an apprenticeship in London and living in one of Centrepoint’s Independent Living Properties.
When Danny first arrived at SLEAP (A Centrepoint partner organisation based in Lancashire), according to his own words "he did not exist". He had been rough sleeping for two years and he had no documents. Despite this difficult start, Daniel has turned his negative experiences into motivation to help others. He has won the 2021 Centrepoint Partner’s Inspiration Award.
After her parents were unable to care for her, Carrie entered the care system age six. A sexual assault in her early teens sent her spiralling, and she began dealing with the trauma through drugs and alcohol. Between the ages of 13 and 18, Carrie had 11 different foster placements. Today, Carrie lives in her own flat with her three-year-old daughter and receives floating support from Centrepoint. She has just started a degree in social work.
Ryan came to Centrepoint aged just 17 and stayed for three years before moving on. Whilst at Centrepoint, he received wrap-around support from a variety of teams within the organisation. Ryan is feeling more optimistic about his future and although he still has difficulties, he feels Centrepoint has equipped him with skills that he will use and value for life.
During the pandemic, Abdi* became homeless and was at risk of rough sleeping had Centrepoint's Homeless Prevention Service in Manchester not been able to place him in emergency accommodation. He is now settled, but looking forwards to restrictions easing so he can take his driving test and start working.
Homeless young people are ready to move on and live independently but they’re being held back by the housing crisis.
Our research estimates that 129,000 young people approached their council because they were homeless or at risk in the financial year 2021/2022.
As Prince William celebrates his 40th birthday, we wanted to reflect on his time as our Patron and the amazing things he’s done to support homeless young people.
