Centrepoint

Take the plunge this summer!

Looking for a summer team activity and to be a part of something bigger? Join our Summer Dipathon in collaboration with The Bluetits Chill Swimmers over July and August.

We're challenging you to take part in a minimum of four cold water dips, to reflect that one young person faces homelessness every four minutes, with the goal to reach 124,000 dips altogether.

Sign up and get your exclusive embroidered swimming badge today: https://bit.ly/4fPpfme

The housing system isn’t working for young people.

If no more young people joined the waiting list, it would take six years to clear. That’s six years of being stuck in limbo, unable to move on with their lives.

Every young person deserves a safe, secure home that gives them the stability and independence to thrive. That’s why we’re campaigning for change.

We’re so proud to have more than 400 amazing supporters who contributed a total of 9,445 hours of volunteering last year, and we’ve spent Volunteers' Week celebrating them!

From celebration events and appreciative emails for our existing volunteers, to recruiting, onboarding and welcoming new ones to join our teams and services, it’s been a busy week for our Volunteering team.

Thank you to all our incredible volunteers for sharing their time, expertise and skills with us – it makes such a difference young people’s lives! 🧡

When Lily, 20, picked up the phone to call the Centrepoint Helpline, she had already spent more than a year moving from place to place.

“I’ve had quite a bumpy start to life,” she says.

After a breakdown in her relationship with her mum, Lily left home and moved in with her partner’s family. But she was experiencing significant challenges with her mental health, and as tensions grew, she was asked to leave. She then moved in with her partner’s sister, but that arrangement also didn’t work out.

Lily found herself with nowhere stable to stay.

A family friend who had known her since childhood offered her a sofa and encouraged her to contact Centrepoint. Together, they called the Helpline.

Lily had already asked her local council for help with homelessness support and temporary accommodation, but weeks had gone by without a response. “We were just waiting for weeks and weeks and weeks,” she says.

When she spoke to Ethan, a Centrepoint Helpline adviser, she finally felt heard. He took time to listen as she explained her housing situation, her mental health and the steps she’d already taken to try to get help. He began advocating on her behalf, contacting the local authority and supported accommodation services to find somewhere safe for her to stay.

At the same time, Lily contacted her local MP, explaining that she wasn’t receiving the support she needed. Her MP intervened and contacted the council to push for action.

Not long after, Lily was offered a room in all-female shared accommodation.

Today, she’s settling into her new home. “It’s really nice and the girls here are really nice and respectful,” she says. For the first time in a long while, she has a space of her own.

She now has both a support worker and a social worker and is accessing mental health support that wasn’t available to her before. Lily lives with several mental health challenges, and having professionals who understand her needs is making a real difference.

Her bedroom is becoming a place of safety and personality. She’s decorating it with her artwork, furniture and lots of items inspired by her favourite animal. “I love, love, love ducks. They’re literally my favourite animal in the world,” she says.

Looking back at her journey, Lily is incredibly grateful for the support she received from Ethan and the Centrepoint Helpline. Having someone listen and explain her options helped her feel less alone during an overwhelming time.

With stable housing and the right support in place, Lily is starting to think about her future. Her focus is on building confidence and gradually reconnecting with the world outside her front door.

“I definitely want to try and get back out into the world,” she says. “Having this support means I can try and take another step forward in my life.”

We’re so pleased that Lily has found a place to call home and is getting the help and support she needs. We wish her all the best with the future!

A huge thank you to Omaze and everyone who entered the Lake District House Draw! 🧡

The £4.5 million pledged to Centrepoint will fund more Independent Living homes, supporting hundreds of young people facing homelessness to unlock independence and reclaim their futures.

You’re helping to deliver our mission to end youth homelessness for good.