Between graduating university and starting my first job, there was a period of about 6 weeks where I technically, accidentally found myself homeless. I couldn't stay in my university accommodation, I couldn't move back home and I didn't know where my grad scheme was posting me yet. So for six weeks, I lived out of a suitcase and relied on the generosity of my friends to let me stay in their spare rooms/sofas/etc.

It sucked. I couldn't plan more than a week ahead, had to live out of a suitcase and felt like a constant burden. 

That was only six weeks, and it was nowhere near as bad as it could have been, but it gave me enough of an insight to just about begin to understand how difficult being homeless as a young person is. 

Enter Centrepoint. 

Centrepoint is a charity that focusses on supporting young people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. This could be kids on the street or it could be kids like me, relying on their friends and sofa surfing. 

Probably the biggest thing Centrepoint do is that they provide 800 accommodation spaces for homeless young people across England. That's 800 less kids on the street, 800 less kids being made even more vulnerable to exploitations, 800 kids better able to access additional support and help.

On top of that they support 14,000 homeless young people a year through their other services such as helplines, training programmes, youth employment initiatives, etc. The list goes on, and on, and on.

They also advocate on behalf of homeless young people, sticking up for some of the most forgotten people in our society.

There's no set definition of who ends up homeless. No one aims to end up that way, and no one deserves it either. Homelessness should not be the end of the line for young people and the money you give to support Centrepoint will go to supporting them give young people a place to be safe. 

You can find out more about Centrepoint here: Give homeless young people a future | Centrepoint

(Also, want to feel inadequate? This kid managed to get into Cambridge whilst homeless and I can't even make it to Monday without crying over burning my bagels: 
Homeless student who got into Cambridge now raising money to help other disadvantaged students - Wales Online)