Darcey
Unable to afford a place to rent, Darcey aged 19, was living with her boyfriend in the back of a shop. They didn't have anywhere to cook or shower. After 5 months, they were kicked out and ended up rough sleeping:
"It was scary being on the streets and my boyfriend wouldn’t sleep at all because he needed to protect us. He told me that I was a pretty girl and that pretty girls get taken advantage of on the streets. I wouldn’t get much sleep either."
"Eventually we were housed in Eastbourne, but because we were looking for jobs in Brighton, it was very difficult to get to and from there and we ended up losing that place. Then we were housed in Brighton, but I had a mental breakdown and was sectioned. When I was let out they had evicted us. We eventually got housed again in emergency accommodation. We were there for a long time and we were doing really well, but then our neighbour threatened to kill me and my boyfriend. We had to start sofa surfing again with mates.
CTS advocated for us to help get us housed and sorted out all the official stuff for us. They would put what the Council were saying into words we could understand. Once we had a fridge we were able to take food packages from CTS every two weeks. We got key workers and mentors, and we’d go on trips out, and have one-on-one time with the staff.
The mentoring really helped me to open my mind to my relationship and understand my feelings better. I’m four months pregnant, and it is a bit daunting. I’m going to complete the emotional intensity course and then next year I will do the barista course and get a job.
CTS is a very open-minded, safe space that enables you to progress and to become the best version of yourself at that time."