Homeless Helpline Appeal: 'Thank you for raising £3m to help end youth homelessness'

Young people who have featured in the Homeless Helpline Appeal comment on the generosity of those who donated, and the pressing need for the helpline

'Having a helpline with dedicated staff who have been trained to listen, really is going to be a lifeline' - Sade Banks-Brown (Lucy Young)

The Independent and Centrepoint’s Young and Homeless Helpline appeal has now raised more than £3m, meaning that in less than a week’s time, on 13 February, it will be possible to launch the first nationwide helpline for 16 to 25-year-olds facing homelessness.

One of the key features of our campaign has been those young people who came forward to tell their stories about the reality of being homeless.

Here, they tell us, in their own words, what the campaign and the amazing generosity of those who donated have meant to them.

'Thank you for believing in the cause of ending youth homelessness'

Sade Banks-Brown was once pictured on missing posters – now she’s the (Lucy Young)

At 14, Sade Banks-Brown was 'the girl on the missing poster’, living with a 20-year-old drug dealer, despairing of ever having a future. She eventually found Centrepoint, and with the charity’s help, turned her life around completely.

Now 24, she is the founder and CEO of her own charity Sour Lemons – and on the board of trustees of the pupil referral unit that expelled her when she was a troubled teenager.

“It’s just incredible that this campaign has raised so much money for such a noble cause.

“Having a helpline with dedicated staff who have been trained to listen, to guide and support young people who find themselves in the darkest situations, really is going to be a lifeline.

“Just that friendly voice, a bit of reassurance when you are at your lowest, can be so helpful, particularly for young people who don’t have a family support network, or who are suffering abuse.

“There is nothing like this helpline, and it is needed more than ever. There have been so many cuts in the last few years to youth services and provision – for example, I only found out about Centrepoint through a Connexions youth advice centre, and that service doesn’t exist any more.

“The helpline will help us solve problems at the beginning, so there are fewer older adults who are homeless. It will allow us to get at the root cause, to get people back on their feet before they start that downward spiral towards things like prison and drug dependency.

“And what has been really brilliant about this campaign is that it has allowed people to see beyond the stereotypes. It has shown all the different sides to young people becoming homeless – the impacts that mental health, family breakdown can have.

“I have had a lot of friends and professional contacts who have told me ‘This has now given me huge respect and admiration for these young ex-homeless people and what they have gone on to achieve. And now I have signed up as a donor.’”

“To those who donated, thank you for caring, thank you for believing in the cause of ending youth homelessness.”

'This helpline is going to be life-changing'


 Tori Taiwo has gone from living alone in a hostel to leading a busy life in fashion and photography 
 (Alex Lentati)

On Christmas Day 2008, Tori Taiwo experienced “the definition of loneliness”, alone in a hostel.

Now 30, with the help of Centrepoint she has got her confidence back, has moved into her own rented flat, and is working in fashion and photography.

“Wow! I can’t believe how much money has been raised. It is absolutely amazing. For those who donated, ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem enough.

“This helpline is undoubtedly going to be life changing – not just for the individuals it directly helps, but for thousands of people connected to those individuals.

“Because if you help someone who can then realise their potential to become who knows what sort of amazing person, helping God knows how many other people, that’s going to literally change the world.

“Everyone has greatness within them. It’s just a matter of giving them that chance.

“If, when I was homeless, I had had that opportunity to have someone at a helpline to talk to, it would have made things so much better for me.

“So I am happy for those young homeless people who are going to have that boost, that ‘go-to person’ that a helpline can provide.

“And when you are homeless, hearing someone at the end of a phone line who genuinely cares – that can restore your faith in humanity.

“I also think the campaign has helped open people’s eyes, to see what homelessness really looks like, to see homeless or ex-homeless people as human.

“And I hope that some of the stories have helped people who are homeless realise that people in their situation can succeed, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

'Because of this helpline, hundreds if not thousands of young people will be around in 20 years’ time who otherwise might not have been.'


 Ben Wardlaw went from a privileged life to sofa surfing after struggling with mental health issues 
 (Alex Lentati)

Despite being the product of privilege, a banker’s son who grew up in a £2m house, Ben Wardlaw found himself homeless after his mental health problems and anger issues made it unsafe for him to stay in the family home.

After hitting “rock bottom” while sofa surfing at the homes of a grandmother and a godmother, he got help. Centrepoint, he says, put him back on track.

“My gratitude to those who donated knows no bounds.

“I am absolutely certain that because of this helpline, hundreds if not thousands of young people will be around in 20 years’ time who otherwise might not have been.

“Because at the moment, a great many of those who present themselves to the authorities as homeless immediately drop off the map. We don’t know what happens to these people.

“I am certain that a great deal of them do end up taking their own lives through mental health issues or overdosing on drugs. Or they find themselves in situations that cause physical ill health that means they lose their lives.

“This helpline is there to stop that happening.

“I am certain that when it officially launches, there will be an exponential increase in the numbers of young people to whom Centrepoint can reach out and make sure they get the help they need.

“And so the nation will benefit from their potential. Some of the most amazing people I have met have these awful background stories, but they have the power and ability to change things in such amazing ways if only they are given the support.

“This has been a pretty incredible campaign. We have dramatically increased awareness of the issues. We have started to make a real impact on young people’s lives.

“£3m in donations tells you that people are hearing that there is an issue, and that they are willing to do something about it, to put their money where their mouths are.

“We have a lot more work to do. Those in positions of power have to act.

“This is not the end, but perhaps it is the end of the beginning of the war against youth homelessness.”

'By donating to the campaign, you have given homeless young people a second shot in life.'


 Monique Newton has gone from living on the streets to becoming a world champion 
 (Alex Lentati)

At the age of 16, Monique Newton was homeless and suicidal. Supported by Centrepoint, she went on to become a four-time world powerlifting champion.

She has now founded The Smile Brigade, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at providing free services and activities for people of all ages, including the homeless, the elderly, and those with mental health issues; involving them in everything from fitness to ‘Karaoke and cupcake’ afternoons.

“Thank you. By donating to the campaign, you have given homeless young people a second shot in life.

“The campaign has been amazing. It’s really positive that so many people have got on board with it. It’s nice to know people care and are willing to help.

“It’s also good that we have raised awareness around the issue of youth homelessness, that people now know that there is more to it than just sleeping on the streets, that it can affect all different types of young people, not just the stereotypes.

“And I know that the helpline is very badly needed now. Every week I get young people asking me how they could get help or where they can go to get help. People reach out to me on social media and through Smile Brigade. The situation is bad.

“I know that when I was homeless, it would have been so nice to have had a helpline, with all the information I needed in one place.

“At the time, I kept being signposted to different services and I had no idea where to go. I didn’t know I was eligible for help. I thought you had to be street homeless to get help.

“Emotionally, as well, a helpline could have made a huge difference. It’s just comforting to know that someone’s there and just with you, to know that you’re not physically alone.

“Centrepoint can ensure that you can live a life, with all the different services they have. And that’s where the money is going.”