{"id":5739,"date":"2023-01-19T11:08:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T11:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/?post_type=stories&p=5739"},"modified":"2023-05-19T16:27:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T15:27:58","slug":"finns-story","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/stories\/finns-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Finn’s story"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Finn, 25, moved to London on his own last year. After being promised a place to stay, he quickly realised that the accommodation wasn\u2019t safe. He became homeless, after being pressured to take drugs and engage in sexual activity. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to London last year. I liked the idea of the opportunities that London could provide. I connected with some people and someone offered me a place stay. My expectation was to find a room, and find a job and make my life in London. Things didn\u2019t exactly play out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt turned out I didn\u2019t actually get a room, I got a cupboard under the stairs. Initially, I thought I could handle it and I had it under control but then everything started to fall apart. It was a very sharp decline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe environment I was living in wasn\u2019t a stable one. I eventually rigged up some chains which made the door lockable. But it was never private. It got more unsafe over time and I got sexually assaulted. It made it impossible to live there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really feel like I had anywhere else to go at the time. I didn\u2019t want to feel like I\u2019d failed at London, but I also didn\u2019t really have anywhere else to go. My family knew I was in London. But they didn\u2019t know the situation I was in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finn was eventually referred to Hotel 1824, Depaul\u2019s youth-specific emergency accommodation and support service. The service is for young people who would otherwise be sleeping rough on the streets.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember getting there, and I was like- I\u2019ve got an entire room! And a bathroom! For myself. I had such a good night\u2019s sleep. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe. It was nice. It made me feel like a person. I felt a bit more normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the big turning point for me, it was a breathing space from all the stress. The support there was incredible, I started to feel like myself again. It was a key factor towards rebuilding my confidence and beginning to heal the scars on my mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c I am now in a privately rented room. I\u2019ve got my own room with a lock on the door. I\u2019m happy in my room. I also work in Gail\u2019s bakery, in the kitchen there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepaul showed such genuine compassion and understanding, in their eyes I wasn\u2019t a failure and I wasn\u2019t a burden, I was a person in need and it was okay. Realising that these people actually cared and believed I was worth helping was so empowering. I found the willpower to keep fighting and surviving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n<\/svg>\n<\/div> <\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":5749,"template":"","acf":[],"yoast_head":"Finn's story - Depaul UK<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n