Sean's story

By the time Sean was fifteen his life had, as he put it, "spiralled out of control." Neglected and effectively disowned by uncaring parents as a boy, Sean soon got in with the only role models who paid him any attention: a local gang. It wasn't long before he was in regular, serious trouble with the police, and when he was kicked out of home at 17 he was homeless with no idea who to turn to.

Sean found his way to Centrepoint a year later, visibly shell-shocked by everything he'd been through. After a period on the streets, he was timid, afraid and alone, and a homeless charity like ours was his only hope.

Bouncing back at Centrepoint

Sean's story has been a long one, but it has been a great success. After 18 months as Centrepoint among other homeless young people, he has found his feet and regained his natural confidence, enthusiasm and openness. He is working diligently to kick homelessness into touch: he has passed advanced construction exams and is even making plans to secure a bedsit flat of his own by summer.

But that's not all. Sean has become an engaging young person keen to inspire other homeless young people as a member of Centrepoint's Youth Parliament, a groundbreaking group that aims to make the voices of homeless young people heard within the charity and beyond.

Thanks to Sean's passionate involvement with the Youth Parliament, he will be part of a delegation of homeless young people invited to visit the Houses of Parliament by the Speaker early this year. There, he will represent our homeless charity and get the chance to discuss the Youth Parliament's aims and ideals with several MPs.

A homeless young person no more

Sean has matured rapidly in his time at Centrepoint, and that has enabled him to build bridges with his estranged mother. He spent time over Christmas with her, and they are on much better terms.

"She's seen me change a lot," he'll tell you, "and she's proud of me now. It's amazing to be working to make sure young people's voices get heard and I often think that, without Centrepoint, where would any of us be?"