Kai, now 29, was just 12 when his parents separated and he moved in with his father.
Around the same time, his father was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), leaving Kai to juggle school with increasing caring responsibilities.
From attending hospital appointments to helping with day‑to‑day care, much of the responsibility fell on him. “I grew up fast,” he recalls.
As his father’s health deteriorated, Kai became his full‑time carer. Then, months before his 18th birthday, his father died, leaving him alone and, because he was not named on the tenancy, without anywhere stable to stay. The loss forced him to handle grief, housing uncertainty and sudden independence with limited support.
Eventually, he was offered a place in a Centrepoint Independent Living Programme home, which caps rent at a third of a resident’s earnings and provides support to help young people manage money, maintain employment and sustain a tenancy.
He recognises how challenging the decade since has been, including the loss of his father and the transition into living independently. Throughout, he has tried to rely on what he calls a “positive mental attitude”, focusing on accepting his circumstances and finding ways to move forward rather than dwelling on setbacks.
Kai says the early period of living in his one-bedroom flat was a major adjustment as he adapted to living on his own for the first time. Centrepoint provided practical support, including food vouchers, which he says made a significant difference in his first year.
Determined to build a future, he trained in security and CCTV through youth employment programmes and later secured work in building security.
At 26, he moved into his own home, a milestone he describes as life‑changing. Having a place of his own allowed him to focus on stability, routine and long-term plans.
Now Kai sits on Centrepoint’s lived experience advisory board, helping shape the charity’s support for homeless young people.
Reflecting on his journey, he says he has grown stronger and more resilient. “It’s not been easy, but I kept pushing forward. Pressure makes diamonds,” he says.
His story comes amid a wider housing crisis. Centrepoint’s 2024/25 Move On report shows more than 130,000 young people are on social housing waiting lists, and at the current rate it could take over six years to meet demand even if no new applications were made.
Bradford Teens Premiere Self-Made Film Monster on the Big Screen
Eight Bradford teenagers saw their hard work come to life this week when their self-made short film, Monster, premiered to a local audience.
The film tells the story of how one action can ripple through a community, showing how negative experiences can spread – but also how a single positive choice can change everything.
Over several weeks, the group learned practical skills in storytelling, teamwork, and film production and handled every aspect of filming themselves, writing the script, directing, acting and editing the final cut.
At one stage, the young filmmakers met Oscar-winning winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his son Ronan, who offered tips on crafting stories and making films.
The premiere also marked the completion of Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards for the eight participants. Three others are working towards Silver, with two more aiming to finish Bronze this year.
Matthew Sampson, Centrepoint’s Bradford operations manager, said the young people had shown creativity and determination throughout. The project was supported by Into Film, a charity that helps young people learn through film, and Pocket Projects, which guided the group through technical production skills.
“It’s exciting to see something we made on the big screen,” one participant said. “It shows that if you stick with it, you can make something real.”
For the teenagers, Monster was more than a film. The screening gave them a chance to share their story with family, friends, and the wider community- and see what they could achieve when they worked together.
Housing Shortages Leave Young People With Fewer Options, Data Shows
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(Image: Centrepoint)
A new report from the charity Centrepoint, funded by Nationwide Building Society, highlights growing pressure on England’s housing system, with young people facing increasingly limited options in both social and private rented accommodation.
“The report highlights how hard it has become for many young people to find somewhere they can truly call home.” Charlotte Kensett, Director of Social Impact and Customer Experience at Nationwide said, “By working closely with Centrepoint, we want to help young people find a place where they feel safe and where they can start to rebuild their lives with confidence.”
Social homes demand remains high relative to supply, with around 130,000 households on the housing register, although the shortfall between main duty and allocations has closed. One barrier is the lack of right-sized properties: just a quarter (24%) of homes are one bedroom, despite nearly half of young applicants needing this size.
“The government are making the right noises when it comes to prevention and support for people experiencing homelessness,” Ella Nuttal, Centrepoint’s Research Manager said, “but it’s increasing the level of housebuilding, including suitable social homes, that will transform things.”
Affordable private options are narrowing too. Alongside wider reporting of private landlords leaving the sector, the research found that the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation, often an affordable option, has fallen by 10% since 2019/20.
Ella warns that, without more housebuilding, “Too many young people will continue facing homelessness and find themselves excluded from stable housing and the opportunity to move forward with their lives.” You can read the full report at https://centrepoint.org.uk/move
Discrimination Leaving Young Renters Struggling for a Home
A new report from Centrepoint has found that young people across England are struggling to rent privately. Soaring rents costs have been well-documented in recent years – but the leading youth homelessness charity’s new report reveals young people felt discriminated against by landlords and letting agents when trying to access tenancies.
In a survey of young renters, one in three felt they experienced this sort of discrimination, with Employment status (37%) and ethnic or racial background (35%) reported as the main reasons.
“Young people should be able to take safe, stable housing for granted.” says Ella Nuttall, who led the research for Centrepoint “It’s the foundation for everything else in life. Without it, the risk of repeated homelessness, poor mental health, and long-term disadvantage increases.
The report urges government and councils to expand the supply of suitable social homes and improve access to private rentals for young people.
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