Former Young Carer’s Confidence Soars After Securing Housing Through Football Club Charity

A former young carer, Mia, 23, has expressed a significant boost in her self-assurance, stating it is now “through the roof,” following assistance from a football club’s charitable organization in securing housing. At the age of 17, after serving as a young carer for a parent, she experienced a period of “sofa surfing” among friends’ residences. Subsequently, she was directed to Everton FC’s charitable housing initiative and has since been provided with new accommodation by a social housing enterprise. Mia commented on the impact, saying: “It was such a massive change for me because, you get your own room, you get your key for your room, you’d get facilities like your own cupboard for your food.” She further noted, “Just the little things that people may take for granted.” Mia described the challenges of experiencing homelessness. She explained, “It was tough because at the time I was in college doing a course,” adding, “I couldn’t really concentrate on it that well, because I didn’t really have that stability at home.” A social worker connected Mia with Everton in the Community (EITC), which enabled her to obtain housing through their Home Is Where The Heart Is program. This housing support service, established in 2019, has assisted numerous individuals in moving towards independent living since its inception. Russell Biggs, a homelessness case worker for EITC, stated, “People have this perception that homelessness is the man with the dog with a bit of string on a street corner.” He clarified, “But homelessness can be the hidden homeless, people sofa-surfing, people having inconsistency of accommodation.” Currently, Mia resides in her own home, holds a position at a bank, and is in a stable relationship. She attributes these achievements to the skills acquired through EITC. She remarked, “When you live here they build you up as well,” concluding, “I’m just so grateful for everything.” For more content, listeners can access the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story suggestions can also be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk or via Whatsapp at 0808 100 2230. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.