Receive email updates
24-hour Helpline0800 567 7699
At the age of 16, Chris, now 23, found himself on the street after a relationship breakdown with his family. After many years of trying to get back on his feet he can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. This is his story in his own words.
Chris says that anyone who needs it should seek help.
“From the age of 16 I’ve lived on my own. I didn’t get on with my family. For the first 2-3 months I was on the streets, it was winter time. It was cold, wet and snowing.”
“I found out about Catching Lives (then the Scrine Foundation) and I was in the night shelter for 4 months.
Chris then applied to stay at Porchlight’s young person’s supported accommodation in Canterbury. He stayed for 2 years before moving to one of Porchlight’s shared houses.
Despite constant support Chris struggled to deal with his issues and after leaving the shared house he went back to the streets before spending another 8 months with Catching Lives and eventually 2 years with another charity in Maidstone.
“From there I done a stupid thing and moved to Birmingham to be with my girlfriend. The relationship soon broke down and I left. I then had to get the train back to Canterbury and I was on the street again for 2 months before getting a place with Porchlight in September 2011.
“When you are only 16 living on the street is really scary, you are vulnerable, not street wise.”
“Porchlight have helped me out in a lot of ways. They have given me a second chance. The winter shelter run by Catching Lives is also a good thing – being on the street in the winter is extreme. When you are only 16 living on the street is really scary, you are vulnerable, not street wise. It’s scary for everyone really. You don’t know where to turn for help. I knew that if I stayed in the middle of town then I would get kicked by the drunks and who knows what else.
“If Catching Lives and Porchlight didn’t exist then there would be a lot more visible homelessness. Imagine if all the people who are supported by the two charities suddenly become street homeless.
“Porchlight and Catching Lives really show what can be done. There would be a lot more alcohol abuse and substance misuse and even suicides. Things would be a lot worse.
“The support has even helped me develop life skills such as cooking. My confidence has got a lot better now I have a roof over my head. Having somewhere to sleep at night is nice. I’m a lot happier nowadays.
“I would recommend people get help, it would change their lives. It can help people move on and get a job or get into education. If someone has a goal then the best time to try and get there is when you have the support behind you.
“Most people don’t want to be on the dole, they want to get a job.”
“Hostels do get bad reputations with the public. They think the people that live in them are ‘bums’ and that they rely on the dole. Most people don’t want to be on the dole, they want to get a job. Maybe people could change their attitudes by visiting a hostel and actually talking to the people that live there. We want to get on with our lives; we don’t want to be put down all the time. You have to learn to ignore it. There is some real snobbery around.
“Everyone makes mistakes, even older people make mistakes. It’s a part of life; you just have to learn from them. Some people do and some people don’t. I have.
“I want my own gym one day. Sport is my life.”
“I’ve got a 10 year plan. I have all the qualifications I need to be a fitness instructor. I want my own gym one day. Sport is my life. If I didn’t have sport I don’t know what I would do. I know what I want, it’s just getting it. When I applied to college I was told the tuition fees would be around £1000 and I wasn’t eligible for any financial help. I’m considering a night course that I’m hoping will be far cheaper.
I play for the Porchlight football team at the moment and I go to the gym quite a lot. I like to keep myself fit. You need to do something to keep busy. I used to stay in all day when I was younger, after a while it really starts to affect you mentally.”
“I’m going to keep going. There’s nothing to stop me.”
“I’ve sent my CV out to a lot of companies for a variety of roles but I get frustrated when I don’t receive a reply even if it’s to say that I’ve been unsuccessful. Finding a job is a lot about where you look and if you don’t look in the right places you won’t find anything. I’m going to keep going. There’s nothing to stop me.”
Leave a Reply
Website by Grow
