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“When I was born things were pretty tough for me. I was born addicted to drugs because my mum struggled to stay clean. My parents would fight a lot and it was scary at times when they would hurt each other. Looking back now I know I made some bad choices. But I didn’t feel like I had any other options. I got into drugs and was getting in trouble with the police a lot. I didn’t go to school very much either, and I ended up crashing on my mate’s couches so I had somewhere to sleep at night . It was either the streets, or that. So, thankfully, I had a few places to crash. I would often hurt myself, as it was a way to block everything else out. When you feel so alone, you do anything possible to cope and stay alive. My friend was going to a fitness program run by Project Youth. One day I snuck onto the bus when they were picking up my mate. Thankfully, when they found me, they let me join in. It was actually pretty fun, they had a personal trainer, and gave me breakfast as well as dropping me home when it finished. I got to know one of the youth workers who was running the program and he started to help me get sorted. It was great to have someone who would listen to me and get things sorted. I wanted to leave school, so he worked with me to get me some work experience. I didn’t think this was possible, but he worked with me, the school, TAFE and Café Y. He helped me to get into a short course, and I actually got a certificate in hospitality, which was one of the first things I’d actually completed. He also helped me get into one of the Project Youth refuges called The Bridge. I was only able to stay there for 3 months because it was a crisis refuge, but it was a great to stay in the same place and I didn’t have to keep moving around. After 3 months they supported me to move to another refuge called Henrys, where I could stay longer. As it was all with Project Youth, I didn’t have to keep telling everyone about myself all the time, or keep doing new paperwork. I’d met lots of youth workers as well because I went to the drop-in at Miranda to hang out. The youth workers helped me with loads of things, such as getting on benefits, support with legal aid, clearing my debt, getting help with my health and medication I needed, getting ID, doing some courses so I could try and get work, and even helping me to get off the drugs. I felt safe to talk about things I had never told anyone before. This was a big part of getting the right help. This took a while which was good as I don’t think I could have coped with doing everything at once. The youth workers helped me sort the important things first like getting on medication for my mental health so I could better cope and deal with everything else. Having somewhere to live whilst all these other things were happening was the best part. Now I even have contact with my family which I thought would never happen. There was no magic pill and it was hard to get where I am now. I honestly didn’t think it would happen. I was pretty angry with the world and felt so alone. But I knew things were different when I actually wanted to get out of bed in the morning . It had been a very long time since I felt this way, I think I’d actually forgotten what it felt like. One of the biggest things that helped was having somewhere safe to live and being supported by people who care. I hope that doesn’t sound stupid but I honestly wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for the people that cared they never gave up on me. I look back now and I am so grateful. I am living with my girlfriend in another area, and I am in touch with my family. I’ve got a lot of things sorted, and I am happy. It is not always easy though; I had a panic attack recently and had to move out of my flat. I texted Project Youth, and the youth worker had a chat with me. The difference this time is that I’m alright. I knew who to talk to and where to go for help. I found somewhere else to live and things are still okay. It’s good to know when problems happen, I don’t have to go back to drugs or getting into trouble with the police. I can cope much better now. Looking back now at my time at Project Youth, if I could say one thing, it would be… Thank you.”