After a childhood of unstable housing, Parker shares his journey of securing his first permanent home and going to university. Read his story:

I grew up in a low-income family, and we were in and out of temporary accommodation a lot. I’ve had that experience of instability from quite a young age.

I’m coming up to 25, and this is the first time that I’ve had somewhere more permanent to live.

“I feel like I belong in the world.“

I was made homeless for the first time at 17 years old. At the time, I was in care and was asked to leave the place I was staying. That was the first time I got in touch with my local EveryYouth charity, The Rock Trust.

They provided me with my own accommodation. It was quite tough living on my own at that time. Although the way I grew up made me independent in lots of ways and I was used to getting by on the bare necessities, there were also lots of things I never learnt. Like, I didn’t know how to set up my gas or electricity properly! That’s another way the Rock Trust has been a massive help.

I’ve accessed the Rock Trust for 8 years intermittently now. It was in May that I was still living in temporary accommodation but had been offered my own flat through the council. The problem was that they wanted a month’s rent upfront. I was in temporary accommodation, so I had no savings, but I was determined to move.

I was about to start my second year of university, and I couldn’t face doing an other year in temporary accommodation, it was impossible. I wanted a safe base to come back to and get my work done.

That was when I accessed EveryYouth Homed to get that first month’s rent. It was very very easy.

I moved in a few months ago, and I’m dead happy with it. It was empty when I moved in, so it has taken a while to furnish but it’s all starting to come together now.

I’ve just completed my first week back at university – I’m studying Sound Design in Edinburgh. I can already feel the difference this year having my own place. I’m able to focus and get my work done there but also relax. It’s so different already.

Looking back at how I’ve grown up and even how my adult life has been so far, it’s a very different feeling finally having somewhere to call home. I feel like I belong in the world. I can confidently go to uni and find a job. I don’t have the same imposter syndrome – I have the confidence of having my own place.

My advice to anyone going through a similar situation to me is to be patient. I know it’s not the advice everyone wants to hear, but be patient, and when you do get what you want, it is so worth it.

To find out more about our EveryYouth Homed programme click here.