Clare
After running out of places to sofa surf, *Clare ended up spending the night in 24-hour McDonald’s just to keep warm. Clare, who was just 18 at the time, knew she needed help and reached out to her youth offending worker who referred her to SASH and The Hinge Centre.
As Clare began opening up to the SASH team, it became clear that she was a vulnerable young woman in need of some support. She was living a chaotic lifestyle, had many struggles with her mental health and had started misusing drugs and alcohol. To make things worse, Clare had spent some time in care between the ages of 16 and 17, but did not have the ‘leaving care’ status that she needed to access more support. Luckily, the SASH team knew they could help Clare, who still had nowhere to stay that evening. Clare was paired with a local host and used our Nightstop service for 14 nights, having a safe and warm space to recuperate in and think through her options with her resettlement worker. Eventually, Clare decided on Supported Lodgings, where she would stay with a local host family for up to two years as she got back on her feet and learned independent living skills in a safe environment.
Clare moved into her SASH Supported Lodgings placement at the beginning of December 2019. Alongside of the practical and emotional support that she received from her host, Clare also engaged in regular one-to-one support with her SASH support worker. It was a hard first month for Clare and, to begin with, she found it hard to trust the people who were offering her help but as time went on Clare lowered her barriers and began to build a positive and professional relationship with her SASH worker and her host family.
Eventually, Clare used the support on offer in her placement and developed her budgeting, cooking and household skills. She also learned new ways to cope with her mental health condition, built up her self-esteem and confidence, and started exploring what her next steps could be in employment or training.
As her Supported Lodgings placement continued, Clare got herself a permanent full-time job and eventually came to the decision that she felt ready to move out of supported living and into independent accommodation.
“I loved being able to build a bond with my host”
We’re delighted to say that six months after she moved on from placement, Clare is still living in her own accommodation and flourishing in her full-time employment – a fantastic achievement even without the additional challenges that the pandemic has thrown in her path. With support from SASH, Clare has become a fully independent and resilient young woman. When asked what she has enjoyed the most about her time with SASH, Clare described that it was the building of a bond with her host, which is a huge positive for a young person with a long history of unstable and unhealthy relationships.
SASH believes every young person deserves a chance for a bright future, and we’re committed to supporting vulnerable young people like Clare to independent lives, helping them break the cycle of homelessness before it takes hold. If you want to be part of the solution to youth homelessness in our community and help create bright futures out of cold winters, please donate here.
*Name changed for privacy
