Becca's story

Depaul Nightstop UK helped seventeen year old Becca rebuild her life, and gave her the strength to confront the severe depression that was threatening her life.

At home Becca had suffered neglect and emotional abuse from her mother, and was growing more and more depressed. Before long she was self harming, drinking excessively and knew that she had to leave home before it all got worse.

Becca was homeless for a year, and stayed on friend's sofas or slept in the park when no one would take her in. She was on strong medication for depression and her biggest fear was that she might lose her medicine when she next moved location, and be at risk of taking her own life.

She tried to move back home to her mother and make things better, but it wasn't long before the arguments and insults started again. When she took an overdose and remained unconscious for several days, her mother decided not to call an ambulance.

Becca was terrified after this, and knew that she could not get support from her family. She enrolled herself with a counselling service, who referred her to Depaul UK's Nightstop London. Becca was given her own keyworker at Nightstop London and together they could discuss and make plans for how to make things better. She finally had someone sche could trust, give her emotional support and help make referrals for her accommodation and mental health needs.

Amazingly, throughout all of this Becca was still attending a training course on mechanics and looking for jobs. At times she felt like giving up, but her keyworker encouraged her and helped her apply for jobs whilst she continued her training.

The local council had previously refused to put Becca on their accommodation waiting list, stating that her case was not a priority. Becca's keyworker was able to advocate on her behalf and provide the medical reports to prove that her case was urgent. However, the local council waiting list was still really long, and Becca's keyworker could see that the safest option for her was not to wait for council housing, but make a fast referral for specialist accommodation.

Her keyworker used her contacts and knowledge of local accommodation services to find Becca a room in a hostel which specialised in supporting young people suffering from mental health illnesses. Becca and her keyworker then went to check that the hostel would meet her needs, and although she now had a fulltime job in a shop, they were also able to negotiate some extra financial support to help her stay financially stable.

At the hostel, Becca made enormous progress, she regularly attended counselling and family mediation sessions, and slowly her relationship with her mother began to improve. She moved back home after one year, and now her home is somewhere safe where she can be supported. Becca still hopes to become a mechanic and her mother is now there for her and is encouraging her to reach her goal.