Thom’s story

After a fall out with his mother, Thom, 19, felt he had to leave home. He rented a flat until it was sold without warning, and he was given just two days to leave the property.

‘From there I went to live in a tent for three months over Christmas and it was really cold. I felt low and ashamed of the situation I was in.’ Thom said.

As a dyslexic, Thom has trouble filling out forms. He was unaware, as many young people are, of the benefits he was entitled to.

His uncle became aware of his situation and took him to agencies that he thought might help. Thom is now in a youth housing scheme, and it is through this that he became aware of Shelter’s Peer Education project.

He reflects; ‘my message is that you need to plan your move and know what do out there otherwise you could end up homeless.’

Through his work for Shelter, Thom is eager to pass on his experience to others who find themselves in similar situations: ‘I now do Peer Education which I enjoy, and I understand how important it is to talk to others about the prevention of homelessness.’

The British Medical Association warns that long-term homelessness is as damaging to health as smoking.

Names have been changed to protect anonymity. To protect the identity of our clients, models have been used in photographs.

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