Carl is 19 years old and has completed his A ‘Levels in 10 months
When Carl was a child he suffered years of physical, emotional and financial abuse at the hands of his father. He had a close relationship with his mother but she was unable to protect him from the abuse. He continued to live with his parents until, aged 17, he could take no more.
Carl left the family home with nowhere to go and resorted to sofa-surfing for several months. He was unable to find anywhere affordable to live due to a severe shortage of housing in the area and was repeatedly let down by local support agencies with interminably long waiting lists.
He needed somewhere safe to live and specialist support to help him deal with the trauma he had experienced. When support is unavailable for a long time, issues can become magnified. As a result of being unable to cope with the trauma and instability he had experienced, Carl became angry and disaffected, eventually turning to drugs as a way to escape from overwhelming feelings of despair. His drug addiction escalated due to peer pressure and he overdosed several times.
A New Start
When Carl was 18 he got in touch with our housing team and was soon able to move into his own self-contained flat. With a safe place to live and the help of his dedicated support officer, Carl was able to access specialist support from local agencies, commit to further education at the local college and make plans for the future. He has overcome his drug addiction and with help from a counsellor and psychotherapist is developing coping mechanisms to help him move forward from the trauma he experienced.
Achieving and Thriving
Since moving to YMCA Cornwall, Carl’s life has been transformed and he is now a motivated, engaged young man who has recently completed his college course with the exceptional achievement of completing 3 A levels in only 10 months. He is ready to move to a place of his own, putting the past behind him and looking forward to embarking on a promising career.
Your help really does change lives.
My support officer has been an amazing help – so understanding and beneficial for my rehabilitation. Without her I would never have done this.”