Charlotte is 21 years old and has a son who is approaching his 2nd birthday. She had been living at her mum’s house for years, but it was getting extremely overcrowded. The only space available for her and her son to sleep was the living room floor.
Living in this situation was difficult enough, but there were added pressures during the pandemic. Overcrowding became a major issue and that was having a significant impact on Charlotte and her son. Realising they desperately needed a more permanent place to call home but struggling to find anything appropriate or affordable, Charlotte got in touch with our Private Renting Service.
Charlotte worked with our Private Renting Service to look for a property that suited her budget, and was appropriate for her and her son. As she is receiving income benefits, the team struggled to find a suitable property in the private rented sector so instead, approached other Roundabout teams for help!
“Roundabout’s Resettlement Team rent properties across the city to allow young people who are leaving care to gain a taste of independence, whilst having support from Roundabout,” explains Clare, Roundabout’s Private Renting Service Worker.
“They let us know that one of their properties was currently available, and asked if we knew of any young people in need. We immediately thought of Charlotte!”
The property was a 2 bed house with a garden and was close to Charlotte’s family. It was absolutely perfect for her. She soon moved in, and began settling in to her new life.
“I’m glad I finally have all my belongings under one roof – it’s amazing,” says Charlotte.
“It’s all the little things that many people would take for granted, that I’m so grateful for. I like that I’m finally able to give my child his own bedroom and bed and that I finally have a bed of my own after years of not having one! I cannot believe how much storage space I have as I’m so used to feeling cramped, but I love that I finally have somewhere to hang my clothes instead of living out of bags.”
We’re so pleased that Charlotte reached out to Roundabout for support and thanks to the hard work of our Private Renting Service, she now has a safe place for her and her son to call home and should get priority to move into more permanent social housing in the near future.
“Working with Roundabout is the first step to Charlotte’s new life”, says Clare.
“Now she has a safe foundation to build upon, this is likely to be a permanent move out of homelessness for her. That’s what we want – to help young people break the cycle of homelessness, so that they can go on to live the rest of their lives.”
Charlotte is now able to look forward to her and her son’s future, and is feeling much more positive about life.
“I thought I was getting nowhere – it felt like things were going to be the same for a very long time, like an ongoing cycle, and it was definitely starting to affect my mental health. I just didn’t know where to turn, and I’m so glad I reached out to Roundabout.
“From the moment I contacted Roundabout, Clare has done so much to help me. I’m so grateful to her for never giving up – I couldn’t be happier. It’s onwards and upwards from here!”
To find out more about how Roundabout prevent homelessness in South Yorkshire, visit our Homeless Prevention Service page.