Josh's Story
Josh and his six brothers and sisters witnessed their father hitting their mother from an early age. Soon, they were subjected to their father’s abuse too. But it didn’t stop there: Josh’s father began to steal, and once tried to burn down the house. Life at home was chaotic and dangerous.
Family structure gone
When Josh turned 12 his father died. What little family structure there had been was gone, and his behaviour began to worsen. He misbehaved at school and experimented with drugs for the first time. ‘I just wanted to pretend that everything was the same, that nothing had changed,’ he recalls.
Kicked out of school
In time Josh was kicked out of school for good. On his own and struggling to cope, his mother decided to put her children into care. Josh was deeply unhappy, and moved from family to family. ‘I was confused,’ he says. ‘I didn’t want to stay but I didn’t want to run away.’
Homeless at 15
At 15, Josh left once and for all. For the next three years he slept on sofas in friends’ houses, but his welcome wore thin. Out of options, he started spending his nights in cars, garages, and parks. He felt completely alone.
Onto the streets
Desperate for a support network, Josh fell in with a gang. Soon he was dealing drugs - and in prison a year later. When he emerged he had nowhere to go. Unsure what else to do, he ended up on the streets.
More than just a room
At last, Josh was referred to Centrepoint. For the first time in his life he was given a safe, warm room of his own. ‘I was happy to have a roof over my head and place to hear my own thoughts,’ he says. He met regularly with a counsellor and support and development worker, and began going to college, playing football and pursuing a childhood passion: writing poetry.
Looking forward
Josh has never looked back and can’t believe how far he has come. His love for writing prompted a decision to enrol on an English course, and he dreams of one day becoming a community youth worker. Josh can’t wait to find out what his future holds.
