Shantell

Hi my name is Shantell Barrett; I had been living on and off the street since I was 22. I lost my family and my friends in a period of about 6 months  because of a change in my life that I was going through, I had schizophrenia but didn’t know it and wandered around lost for a few years.  I first heard about YHES House from some friends while I was on the street. They told me I could go there and get some help. YHES House made me feel welcome and comfortable and that they cared about my   wellbeing. They provided me with a survival pack which  included food, bathroom products, towel and first aid kit. They also offered me the use of their shower and laundry facilities which I used regularly during my time on the street. I had been to other services for help but found them to be  negative about my age because I had already turned 25.

YHES House also helped with some counseling and offered me five days in a caravan park to help me have a break from being on the street. They gave me sleeping bag and a phone card just in case I needed to call somebody. I still couldn’t find accommodation so they provided longer term support and helped me to access a doctor from the Homeless Health Outreach Team (HHOT) where I was    diagnosed with schizophrenia. YHES House then helped me to get the prescriptions and get my identification documents sorted out because I had no form of identification. 

After about 6 months of working with the YHES House I was able to get off the street and into a refuge where I got more support and was able to make friends. From there all the help I was provided paid off and I got a place of my own.

Having schizophrenia you are a bit mixed up but having my own place helps me to have a routine and keeps me busy with everyday life. It makes me feel normal like everyone else. I love my home and my privacy. I missed my privacy when I was on the street and no longer have to worry about my security, about sleeping in public toilets or having to use public toilets.  I have my security back and I’m now thinking about going back to studying.

 Johnson

My name is Johnson I am 22. I first found out about YHES House from my best mate. I came to get a bit help with my drug and alcohol problem and get my life back on track. I like everything about YHES House and talking to the nice people there. I was able to talk through some things with the youth worker, I was also able to look up jobs on the internet and use the laundry and shower facilities because I had no accommodation and was sleeping anywhere that I could find that was warm. YHES House gave me some blankets and a survival pack and some food which really helped. The survival pack had blue plastic sheet that helped keep all my gear dry when it was raining. They also helped me out with transport to get to counselling meetings and to food aid.  I was also able to use their phone to call my mother who I hadn’t seen for a while and because of that I was able to meet up with her. YHES House is important because they help you out in any way they can. Thank you YHES House

Jason & Crystal

Jason : My name Jason and I first came to YHES House when I was 20.  I found out about YHES House through one of my friends when I was going through a bit of a rough patch in my life. I was self harming and very depressed. I didn’t have a job and I was living on the streets. YHES House helped me by steering me on the right track. They didn’t force me to change but showed me the way. YHES House let me use their phones and computer so I could look for work and for accommodation. They were also there for me if I ever needed a chat. I could come in and chat to someone if I was ever feeling depressed and didn’t know what to do. Eventually I was able to get a job and accommodation which I had for some time.

Just recently I lost my accommodation and again needed some help. I knew I could come to YHES House. I came with my partner Crystal and YHES House helped us by giving us the resources to look for emergency and cheap accommodation. There wasn’t any accommodation available so they helped us out by giving us a tent and some food. 

The support YHES House offers can help you to get understanding of where you are at in your life and can help you in what you may need to do. I feel it is much  easier knowing there is someone to talk to when you are going through a rough stage in your life or just need a chat.

It is important to have a place like YHES House because there are a lot of youth that don’t know what to do and need help. It is really great that YHES House is here to help any young person between the ages of 12 to 25.

Crystal

My name is Crystal, I am 18 and I found out about YHES House through Jason. We came because we were in need of accommodation and financial support. I really liked the fact that we could come in any time and jump on the computers to look for accommodation. You can also just chill out or have a chat. Jason and I ended up having to sleep out on the street in boxes because the place we were meant to be staying didn’t work out. It was the first time I have ever had to do that and it was scary. It was a very big wake up call. It gave me an understanding of how hard it must be for homeless people. Fortunately, we have now found accommodation and YHES House has been able to help us to get some furniture and     bedding as well as previously helping with a tent. It was also great to be able to use the YHES House kitchenette to get something to eat.