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Nathan's Story: From Street Homeless and Sofa Surfing to Volunteering with Bardsley Youth Project

Writer's picture: rachel ormanrachel orman

At Bardsley Youth Project we are honoured to be able to share the story of Nathan—a young man supported by the project that came to us whilst sofa surfing some nights and sleeping on the street other nights. He has gone on to secure work and continues to give back to the Bardsley Youth Project using his lived experience and volunteering to support the project he feels supported him.


When Nathan was kicked out of home at 16, he was street homeless - or when he was lucky he found a sofa or a floor in the dry. After a while he found temporary accommodation in young people’s hostels like the YMCA, but these were often very short-term solutions and he regularly had to return to sofa surfing, which is what he was doing when he met our workers and started to come to our groups.


Coventry Young Person says if it wasn't for Bardsley Youth Project they would have gone down some very dangerous paths- they were doing what they had to to survive


“If it wasn’t for Bardsley I would have gone down some very dangerous paths – I was doing what I had to survive”.


Once Nathan was connected to Bardsley he was able to get some proper support receiving guidance on his benefits entitlement and was able to apply for housing through the local council. He moved into a unit for young homeless people while he was waiting for somewhere permanent.


Nathan really struggles with the ‘complicated stuff’ and says he wouldn’t have been able to navigate these systems by himself, but having someone there who could explain forms and be beside him when he made phone calls gave him a chance to build these skills.



A young person who was homeless sofa surfing and sleeping on the street in Coventry expressess how Bardsley's support has helped them to feel they are not alone any more and given them a shoulder to cry on

“I felt alone before, but they’ve never turned their back on me… I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Bardsley, they’ve been my backbone and a shoulder to cry on”


Becoming homeless at 16 takes a toll on a young person, and Nathan was no different. The one to one support he’s been able to access has helped him to learn about sharing emotions and taught him strategies to handle things when it all gets too much.


Young Person talks about the emotional experience of being homeless

“I appeared happy but I was a mess inside… I still struggle sometimes, but it’s a learning curve”


Sadly, Nathan got attacked in his temporary accommodation, which destroyed his sense of safety and made staying there impossible. Luckily, because we’d helped him get on the housing list, he was offered a permanent tenancy and is now living in his own place where he’s been able to keep moving forward.


He’s subsequently spent some time volunteering with us, helping young people to move into new homes and last winter he supported the warm hubs programmes. He’s become a real asset to the Bardsley and the people we support.


Young person talks about how they are finding meaning using their lived experience to give back by volunteering with the Bardsley Youth Project in Coventry


“It’s great because the help I’m giving now, I’ve received myself”


Even though Nathan has been able to keep building up his personal and professional skills, there can still be knocks. He told us how much it meant to him when his fridge freezer broke and we were able to access a new one for him within a couple of days. Setbacks like this can feel huge and have a long-term impact when someone is recovering from homelessness.


Coventry Young Persons Talks about How Bardsley Youth Project Helped them Source Replacement White Goods to Save Their Food


“I could save most of the food, without that help I would have just cried”


Now Nathan is working in the week, helping get SEND children to school, and volunteering with Bardsley when he can on the weekends. He’s had a number of jobs as a driver’s mate, built from his experience doing house moves with BYP, but he says this is the best job he’s ever had.


In 2022, Nathan was referred by his GP to get a diagnosis for ADHD and Autism, and although he’s still waiting, this has been a real opportunity for Nathan to understand himself and his situation more. He’s learning a lot about his struggles and is now able to advocate for himself and explain his needs. What Nathan needed growing up was to be nurtured to reach his full potential, and through it all, he’s now well on the way to achieving that, but it could have been a very different story.


Young Person talks about how Bardlsley Youth Project is like a family they have created


“Bardsley is like a family I’ve created”


This case study showcases the support we provide here at Bardsley, the transformative impact of our work, and the strength and resilience of the young people we are so proud to work with.


This story illustrates the homelessness crisis work we do at Bardsley Youth Project and our preventative work targeted at reducing serial homelessness. We support young people experiencing homelessness crisis but also do support and preventative work for those living in vulnerable situations. We support our young people to find, secure, keep and equip accomodation. We want our young people to not only survive but thrive.


If you know a young person who is at risk of homelessness, perhaps they are sofa surfing or at risk of eviction. Please point them in our direction. They can access our Young Persons digital information hub here: https://www.bardsleyyouth.org/young-person-s-hub. All the information on this page is designed to be accessible to young people.


Click here to request Bardsley Youth Project leaflets and promotional material

If you are part of an organisation and would like to request paper information about our project to display or give out you can do so here: https://www.bardsleyyouth.org/request-leaflets.


It’s simple, the more young people who know about us, the more likely they are to know where to go if they or their friends find themselves in a vulnerable housing situation. 

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