Homeless charity introduces extra support services

Julie Milnes from charity Centrepoint says specialist therapy services have been introduced in Barnsley

Specialist trauma therapy and extra support services have been introduced by a charity helping homeless young people.

Centrepoint runs two housing complexes for people aged 16 to 25 in Barnsley.

The organisation received funding from the Card Factory Foundation to boost its mental health services.

Julie Milnes, head of fundraising at the charity, said the extra support would help young people "move beyond the trauma that has caused them to be homeless in the first place".

In the past year 1,680 young people aged 16 to 24 across South Yorkshire were recorded as being at risk of homelessness.

One of Centrepoint's accommodation sites in Barnsley has 18 beds and aims to help people with housing, education, jobs and life skills.

The charity said the funding would be used to create a space for therapy and training sessions.

'Warm and welcoming'

Ms Milnes said: "If you think about the reasons why somebody is homeless when they are 16 or 17, it's because something not very nice has happened in their life.

"That trauma is often the reason that's caused them to be homeless in the first place.

"We can offer specialist therapy but a lot of these young kids have never had anywhere they can truly call a home."

She said it was important that the centres were "warm, friendly and welcoming so people can start to really thrive and move forward".

Kyle, 21, has been staying at one site for three months and is training to be a bricklayer.

He said the charity had "helped me with my mental health and I'm not thinking about tomorrow but I'm thinking about my future now".

"You're not stuck here by yourself, you're with other people and you're actually building your own little family," he said.

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