Homelessness: I sat my GCSEs while living in a hotel temporarily
I'm 17 and I live in Cardiff, but for 18 months I was homeless.During this time, I sat my GCSEs, started college and got a new baby brother - but it was mentally draining.I see homelessness talked about, but how me and my seven siblings experienced it was completely different.My name is Mia, and I was the Welsh winner of the BBC Young Reporter Competition 2024, looking into how a lack of housing impacts young people.I want other young people like me to know they are not alone.
Losing the house came as a surprise to my family.One day we got a random letter about a no fault eviction but we didn't know what it meant.We had to do some googling before realising we were being kicked out of our house. We stayed in two hotels and one flat before getting a council house in August 2024.At first, everyone was really excited to stay in a hotel, but as time went on we realised that it wasn't fun or a free holiday.We tried to be considerate of the guests and some staff were nicer than others, but you could tell some didn't want us there.We had to share rooms, which we were used to, but also had to share beds and had to eat instant noodles as we didn't have a kitchen.It was harder for my little siblings as they were a bit more fussy.We had no alone time which made our feelings heightened, and I struggled with personal space.Getting to school was hard too. I was sitting my GCSEs and found having to get a few buses, some which didn't show up, to school every day really draining.I was cooped up, sharing with my siblings and it was hard to revise from the bed or in the communal areas of the hotel.I laid all the papers out on the bed and sticky notes on the walls.
As well as struggling to get school work done, I really missed being near my friends and family and felt like I missed out.People would say at the end of the day things such as "oh, I'm going home", but you couldn't really say that because it wasn't a home.My school would check in and give me leftover food at the end of the day to take back for everyone. It meant not having to worry about sorting dinner.My friends were great too, but it was hard to talk about as they did not always understand.
People didn't look at me and think 'homeless'
I've realised that people create a stigma around the word "homelessness", and think it means people sleeping on the streets.The Welsh government said there were 1,461 occurrences of homeless people being placed into temporary accommodation in October 2024.In total, there were 11,319 individuals in temporary accommodation at the end of that month. The most common types were bed and breakfasts, and hotels, housing 3,423 individuals.
I wondered how many young people like me are included in these numbers, so I spoke to Shaun Bendle from charity Llamau, who are working to end homelessness.I was surprised when he told me around 6,300 young people got support for homelessness in Wales last year.He also said for people who are homeless on their 21st birthday, there is a 73% chance they will be homeless again."People may assume homelessness is an older man and a rough sleeper but homelessness can affect anyone of any age," said Shaun. "A lot of people sofa surf, or wouldn't even realise they are homeless technically. "It counts as homeless if you don't have anywhere safe to say."He said while numbers have stayed consistent over the last few years, young people need more "intense" support centred on them for the long term."You may only be homeless for a few months but the impact can follow you for the rest of your life," he told me.He said we need to better understand homelessness so we can spot people at risk.
Now me and my family have a permanent home, it is quite shocking to look back on how hard it was, and how stressed everyone was when we got the letter.I think it's made us all more mature because of what we've been through together, and it has definitely brought us closer.As well as having a nice home to live in, we are close to friends, family and school.I don't think it's really acknowledged how it affects people other than adults, but it does.It affects children's mental health, especially if like me you have exams to worry about.It's also hard for young people to not see their friends and is overall just draining.I would say speak to your friends and teachers - even though they couldn't always help, they did what they could to support me.
It feels unreal that we went through it for so long, and when we got the house it was unbelievable.I am at college now and I want to be a journalist. I like writing and reading and after speaking to Shaun really enjoyed finding more information from charities.I work part-time in the same café I worked in while homeless, and I meet people of all ages.They always refer to things that happened "when I was your age", which is quite funny because of the way things have evolved for me.Homelessness is something that has changed but there is still a long way to go. I hope I can help other people with my story.
A spokesperson for Cardiff council said the city had been "grappling with a housing emergency for the past two years".They blamed the shortage of affordable housing, cost of living, and challenges within the private rented sector for "overwhelming demand".The spokesperson added hotels are always intended to be temporary and acknowledged the "difficulties faced by families".They added families are assigned support workers and the council is continuing to work to use hotels less.
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