Young people's success stories.

Stacey left home when she was 17 following a disagreement with her parents over her boyfriend. However, she and her boyfriend had nowhere to go. They stayed on friends sofas for a couple of nights but they soon had to move on and they found themselves with nowhere to go but to turn to the streets.

'It was horrible being on the streets,' says Stacey 'It was cold and frightening, I couldn’t take a bath or a shower, I couldn’t clean my teeth, we didn’t even have anything to eat.'

Stacey and her boyfriend moved to an abandoned office for shelter. They tried time and time again to get jobs and find out about the benefits that they were entitled to, but they had no permanent address where mail could be sent, and so they were stuck in a vicious circle.

One night whilst Stacey and her boyfriend were sleeping someone set fire to the abandoned building. Miraculously they were both ok, however this signified the danger that both were living in. After this incident they were moved to a Bed and Breakfast for a couple of months, but this was miles away from their friends and the area that they knew and they were cooped up in one small room.

It was about Christmas time when Stacey and her boyfriend were referred to the Action for Children Youth Reach service. Stacey says: 'The staff at the project supported us through Christmas, it was so thoughtful, they even helped us get presents. We couldn’t afford to buy anything for each other so it just cheered us up. As soon as we were in contact with Action for Children things just started to get better. Action for Children helped us get the right benefits that we were entitled to and then they helped us get a flat. It is so nice having somewhere safe and comfortable to live, I feel like I have a home now!

'We got support with learning how to pay the bills, we got help with paying for things such as Council Tax. We even had help with looking and buying furnishings for the house such as a kettle and a microwave. We are now also getting support in applying for jobs; hopefully soon we will both have good jobs.'