When Oliver was forced to leave his rented room, he ended up sleeping in a tent on the edge of a local forest. He felt frightened and alone, and wondered if he would even survive to see his next birthday.
With hardly any money, Oliver often went hungry, surviving on one meal a day. He lived like this for a terrifying seven months.
Today, life looks very different. Since Oliver arrived at a local YMCA in the South West of England, he has finally had a warm and safe place to stay. He has started to rebuild his confidence and has even joined a YMCA gardening group. Here he discovered his passion and now he is working as a landscape gardener.
“I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for YMCA. It’s just so nice to get back to reality and be part of society again.”
As a RoomSponsor you help YMCA provide more than 7,000 spaces for young people across England and Wales, 531 of which are in the South West.