Christmas is a time of year when everyone likes to feel warm, cosy and secure. It's nice to be inside, with the decorations twinkling, perhaps candles or an open fire flickering, and creating a glow to keep out the winter gloom. It's also a time for feeling close to friends and family and sharing the seasonal spirit.
But for some young people this winter will bring no such comforts, as they are sleeping on the streets. Darren, a 22-year-old from the north of England, spent last Christmas at one of Centrepoint's London hostels after spending two weeks sleeping rough.
"I had issues with my family, who were involved with drugs," says Darren (pictured). "There were lots of arguments, the family was breaking up, and when I was 16 my mum kicked me out. She didn't want me in the house any more.
"I went into a hostel and then I got my own flat. I started speaking to my mum again but it didn't work out well. We had a massive argument so I came down [to London]. There were no jobs back home and I thought I could get a career down here.
"That was in November last year. I ended up sleeping on the streets for about two weeks. It was horrible – cold and wet. Every morning I was wet through. I used to sleep rough on Victoria embankment, on the bench by the London Eye. It was tough and frightening. Up north you hear that London's always violent, all these stabbings. It was pretty daunting."
Through outreach workers on the streets, Darren was referred to Centrepoint, where he was given emergency accommodation in a hostel. "You get fed, a warm room, everything," he says. "They gave me a six-month stay and I am still there now. I am staying there until I get into my flat."
Darren knows that the festive season is going to be hard: "The year before last was my last real Christmas. Last year, I was on my own and I didn't like it at all. It gets you all emotional." Nevertheless, he is looking on the bright side: "If someone tried cheering me up with Christmas grub, I'd go for that. Centrepoint did that last year!"
Darren is also full of hope for the future. "I'm going for interviews for apprenticeships so I can get qualifications," he says. "At the moment I'm on jobseekers' allowance, which is not great at all. What I really want is to be a top chef in a restaurant. I hope that by next year, I'm a chef. I'm going to work as hard as I can towards that."
Support Centrepoint's Christmas campaigns
Centrepoint has to work hard each Christmas to make sure that the young people who use its services have as good a festive season as possible – and you can help.
Support Centrepoint's vital work this Christmas by donating now here.
Your donation will also go towards providing young people with counselling, advice and direction to help them overcome abuse or traumas as well as training and teaching to give young people the opportunity to find work or education and give them the basic life skills they'll need in order to achieve independence.
