The kitchen at Centrepoint’s hostel in Camberwell, south London, is a hive of activity and Joseph and Charlie are mashing avocados with a steely look of concentration on their faces.
“Don’t worry if it gets on your hands,” says healthy living adviser Jill Patterson, who’s teaching them how to make guacamole, “that’s what cooking is about.” She talks about the benefits of the omega-3 fats that the dish provides, and the low price and convenience of the protein-rich tinned sardines they’ll eat it with. Soon the room is full of warmth and laughter.
Patterson’s workshops are part of Centrepoint’s wide-ranging health and wellbeing service. Rather than just giving homeless young people somewhere to sleep, the charity focuses on helping them move on to a stable home, job or education – and working with them to improve their health is a crucial part of that.
When a young person arrives at the shelter they’ll be offered a full health assessment. Their mental, physical and sexual health will also be assessed and issues surrounding drug and alcohol use, and relationships – such as domestic violence – will be talked through.
Homelessness and the problems that lead to it, such as abuse or neglect, can take a heavy toll on a person’s physical and mental health. Yet according to dual-diagnosis specialist Benjamin Davy, who works on substance misuse and mental health, a young person’s arrival at the hostel can be the first time that they have had those needs addressed. “Initially it’s difficult to set any goals other than meeting your general survival needs,” Davy says. “At Centrepoint, all the trauma and stress that you may have been experiencing can be addressed.”
Mental health problems often go undiagnosed and the Centrepoint team frequently sees numerous young people who have been suicidal or are self-harming. It offers a range of psychological therapies, including cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic therapy.
Patterson also offers one-to-one advice on weight management and exercise; there’s a gym on site and various sports programmes are run with partner organisations.
“I’ve learned a lot,” says Charlie, 17, who has been at the hostel since October. “I’ve done loads of sessions about day-to-day living, how to live well and be independent.”
Joseph, 19, arrived at the hostel on Christmas Eve last year. He threw himself into the various activities provided and in June left to take up a place in one of Centrepoint’s “move on” properties – flats where residents can access the charity’s support for another six months.
Christmas, with its reminders of warm, loving homes, can be tough for Centrepoint’s young people, and with just 14 health workers for 600 young people in London, the demands on staff are huge. But the charity strives to ensure that everyone gets help to flourish.
As a quote from one resident pinned to the wall in the kitchen reads: “I never had the opportunity before to have a space and talk about me – just me.”
Help Centrepoint now
Centrepoint is dedicated to helping the 80,000 young people in the UK who experience homelessness every year by getting their lives back on track with learning, health and housing support. You can help Centrepoint’s vital work in a variety of ways this Christmas, including sponsoring a room at a Centrepoint hostel, virtual gifts and cash donations.
Visit centrepoint.org.uk/donate to find out how.
