“Everybody at Roundabout has been so supportive”
Whether it takes weeks, months or years, Roundabout supports young people with the most complex needs to help them turn their lives around.
Roundabout does not give up on a young person, and even if mistakes are made, we believe that they are all capable of change.
“I’d probably still be in that squat if it hadn’t been for Roundabout,” explains Amy.
“They’ve helped me with so many things like arranging benefits and getting a GP, which has really helped with my mental health issues.
“And the best thing is that I’m getting the key to my own flat, somewhere that will be all mine.”
Amy has been supported on this journey by Roundabout’s Rapid Rehousing team, who offer intensive support to help the most vulnerable young people until they are confident to take the next step to live independently.
Each individual we work with has their own story that has led them to where they are, but the majority of them have sadly experienced a form of childhood trauma.
When someone is sleeping rough, they’ve usually had a few years of things going wrong before that. When they first become homeless, their first solution is often sofa surfing or staying with friends and family, but once those connections have all been used up, their lives end up spiralling out of control with no other choice but to sleep rough.
“Everybody at Roundabout has been so supportive, they help you and understand you and work with you,” says Amy, as she looks back on a dark period of her life which, she agrees, could very easily have ended in tragedy.
“I’m not as angry as I used to be and I feel now there is something to look forward to,” she says.
But perhaps the most important thing is that Amy is now allowing herself to think more positively about the future, using her new-found stability as the foundation for a new life.
“I’d like to be a mental health worker, use what I know from my own life to do some good – and that really does seem possible now.”
Amy isn’t on her own. Since starting our Rapid Rehousing service in 2018, we’re proud to have supported around 30 young people who were street homelessness, or at risk, to move to independent living and look forward to a brighter future.
In 2020, we’re working to full capacity in this service, working with many more young people to give them the same chances.
Thank you again for your support in the past, at the moment and in the future, helping us to be “By Their Side” and creating alternative endings. If you missed some of Amy’s story, catch up here.
There are so many more young people out there who need us so if you’re able, making a monthly donation would mean you are helping to ensure we’re there for all young people in the most difficult situations, working with them, like Amy, to turn their lives around.
Your support now will make a lasting difference for the future of so many young people. On their behalf, thank you for any gift you can make.
