“When I turned up here I thought, ‘Ah, it feels like a flat – my own room number, my own address.“
Choosing His Own Path
After leaving the care system, James knew exactly what he didn’t want: another place that felt like care. He visited several providers, but each one reminded him of the environment he was trying to move on from. Then he walked through the doors of YMCA Northamptonshire.
“It felt like my place,” he says. “I’d gone from one abusive family to another” so having the freedom and independence mattered more than anything.
Finding a Sense of Home
James moved into the YMCA and immediately noticed the difference. He had his own address, self-contained flat, and staff who treated him like an adult. This gave him the breathing room he needed to think about the future.
Building Confidence
When James arrived, he’d been out of work for nearly a year and was falling behind on his college media course. YMCA staff stepped in with practical help: polishing his CV, giving him job searching advice, even showing him why keeping his room tidy could boost focus and self-respect.
“The support is always there,” James says. “I don’t feel like I’d be allowed to go downhill while I’m here.”
A New Direction
Today James is back on track at college, thriving in his media studies, and working part-time to fund his next steps. The independence he longed for is now his daily reality, and he credits the people around him for enabling him to make it possible.
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