Case Studies
Here we share young people's stories. All the young people that come to Amber have their own – here are a small selection.
Lexie's Story
Lexie, 21, moved on from Ashley Court, our centre in Devon.
She moved on into a house share and is looking forward to starting an access course soon.
The future is now bright for Lexie who is excited and hopeful about living independently for the first time and moving on with her life. Things were not always this way though; before Lexie came to Amber her life was careering out of control.
“I did well at primary but things went wrong when I got to secondary. At my first secondary I was bullied really badly and then at my second I started smoking weed and drinking. I lost all ambition and flunked my GCSEs. I was hardly ever at home so my mum gave up our house to move in with her boyfriend. I don’t blame her - she was quite lonely. I ended up sofa surfing, staying in different places most nights. That was when my drinking got really out of control.”
Harbour Drug & Alcohol Services assigned Lexie a support worker. The first priority was getting her some suitable housing.
“My support worker was lovely but we struggled to find somewhere at first. Eventually I got offered a place at Amber. It was just in time because I was running out of places to stay. The day I arrived at Amber would have been my first night street homeless.
At first I was nervous to be in a new place with new people. I had never lived in supported housing before or in the country as I’d always lived in a city. I was excited as well though as I knew it was the fresh start I needed.
Being at Amber has been great for my confidence and my resilience too. I feel like I have more tolerance of other people and stressful situations now. I also had some counselling which helped me start to process stuff in my past and put things in perspective.”
Having the support to get sober has been key for Lexie
“When I arrived here I had liver pain from drinking so much. If I’d carried on drinking like that I think I’d be dead by now. The staff have really helped – they are all so caring. I’ve started attending fellowship meetings too and plan to keep going. That is going to be key for me when I move on.”
Lexie is moving on into a house share. She is looking forward to starting college and plans to do the diploma once she has finished the Access Course.
“My end goal is to become a social worker. I know from talking to people I’ve met at Amber and other friends that a good social worker can make a massive difference to someone’s life. Coming to Amber has help make this possible. I was able to put the brakes on my old life and really think about what I want to do and form a plan for the future.”
Keiran's Story
Kieran moved on from Amber enrolled on a degree course with the Open University.
“Amber has changed me for the better and got me my family back.”
Before Kieran came to Farm Place, our centre in Surrey, his life was spiralling out of control and he was starting to lose his family connections. Since coming to Amber, Kieran has been working on rebuilding his family relationships and his personal development:
“this place does do a lot for you, with your mental health, personal struggles and independence.”
Through Amber’s supported programme, Kieran has made some great friends, learnt how to cook properly from scratch, and gained knowledge with budgeting through PTU (accredited Progressive Training Units) and workshops delivered by Amber Team Leaders.
“My Team Leader has been amazing, their advice, help with PTUs and support has helped me massively. I can go to them with my problems and share my feelings. They’re always there for you. Amber’s programme gives you a bigger insight into life, it facilitates everyone’s needs.”
Kieran also took part in a refurbishment project on-site at Farm Place with VIY, where he gained City & Guilds qualifications: “it was so good to be there with your music on, learning new skills. I learnt life skills, how to paint properly and use power tools.”
The next chapter for Kieran is an Open University degree in Biology, he’s moving out to be near family. Kieran found that
“the Team Leaders got me back into Uni, they encouraged me to enrol and had faith in me when I didn’t.”
Callum's Story
Callum moved on from Amber to job in a restaurant not far from his new flat.
“The staff team are amazing here and my Team Leader has really supported me.”
We have recently said goodbye to Callum, who has left Amber’s Wiltshire centre to go into full time work and a place of his own.
At a young age, Callum had lived in a whole host of countries, including Bulgaria and Australia. Country hopping had become part of the norm for Callum but he struggled to settle into the different education systems.
After living in Australia for a short time Callum was deported back to the UK in 2022. Once back, he found himself homeless and unemployed. Sofa surfing with friends only lasted a short while until he presented to Wiltshire Council for help.
“When I arrived back in the UK I was miserable, I didn’t know what to do or who to stay with. I don’t have much support locally so I ended up going to the council to see if they could find somewhere for me to stay. That’s when they advised me to make a referral to Amber.”
“I was so relieved to be off the streets. I began making friends and started to sort my life out. The staff team are amazing here and my Team Leader has really supported me.”
During his stay, Callum has taken advantage of all that Amber has to offer.
“I have taken part in lots of activities since being at Amber and I’ve worked hard on improving myself. I really enjoyed the residential Peer Mentoring course and I’ve also had regular counselling sessions with Michael, our on-site counsellor. It really helped me work through things that were in my past.”
The future is looking bright for Callum.
“I’m working full time in a fast food restaurant. I work with some great people and I love the sense of camaraderie there! I enjoy working as part of a team and this job has given me that.
My flat is only a short walk away from work so I have everything I need close by. I have had so much support from Amber and my Team Leader, Phil. They helped me access EveryYouth's Housing Fund for my flat deposit and have organised other practical things such as furniture from, local charity, Group 5.
I’m excited and positive about the future. My aim is to keep stability in my life and keep working hard. I finally feel like I’m starting to get somewhere in life.”
Tyler's Story
Tyler, 21, moved on from Amber into roofing construction
“I feel excited to move on, going back to normality and having some money in my pocket."
Tyler became homeless after his relationship broke down and he had nowhere else to go. He was street homeless spending some time in a tent trying to stay safe.
That’s where Amber came in; Tyler came to Farm Place in Surrey where he gained qualifications and confidence enabling him to move forward into employment.
Since being at Amber, Tyler found his abstinence from drugs a major breakthrough. He started smoking at the age of 15 and became addicted. By the time he came to Amber he was smoking daily.
The practical side of Amber’s programme was very useful to Tyler. He found the budgeting workshops really helpful, enabling him to see what priorities are necessary each month. He also found the tenancy workshops beneficial, as well as the independent living skills so he can support himself when he moves into his own place.
Tyler’s Team Leader supported him throughout his time at Amber and really cared, always being there to help when he needed appointments for self-care and always delivered on the things he needed.
While at Amber Tyler gained City & Guilds qualifications in Health & Safety on-site, basic carpentry and painting and decorating. He has also just passed his CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) vital to working on construction sites.
This all stands Tyler in good stead for his next step, as he has a job working in roofing construction. In the future Tyler hopes to start his own business in the industry:
Tyler had this to say about his time at Amber:
“Amber’s made me more confident and I’ve come out of my shell being surrounded by people all the time. Amber really helps with people’s mental health and communication skills. I’ve stopped smoking since coming to Amber and I can now hold a conversation and engage more. The daily maintenance I’ve been doing will make it easier when I move out and live on my own.”
Hattie's Story
Hattie, 26, moved on from our Surrey centre to a job in customer service.
"Amber has been a great stop gap and helped me start my life afresh.”
Hattie, now aged 26, has just spent the last six months at Amber’s Surrey centre; Farm Place. Hattie self-referred as she was brought to her knees from a drug addiction; her life had become so unmanageable and chaotic, and Hattie wanted to change.
The routine and structure at Amber were beneficial for Hattie. She also found the on-site counsellor helped with setting boundaries and the recovery group helped with her drug addiction. During her stay Hattie took part in Amber’s peer mentoring programme, where she learnt how to be more compassionate and supportive of others:
“I loved the peer mentoring course. I gained greater understanding of others which is a great skill for me to take forward.”
Hattie found the Team Leaders really encouraging and they helped her with her self-confidence, and how to apply and use her skills. Whilst at Amber, Hattie enjoyed taking part in the activities which were on offer:
“The swimming was relaxing and therapeutic. The activities on offer are great for team building and boosts confidence. Lots of the young people here haven’t had the opportunity to do these types of things before, so they’re great new experiences.”
The next chapter for Hattie is exciting but daunting, Hattie is moving forward into a customer service role in Crawley:
“I’ve valued the support at Amber and how there’s always someone there for me so I’m a bit scared of the next step, but I’m also excited to start a new life in a different area and use the skills I’ve learnt whilst at Amber.”
Hattie’s goal is to start some evening courses once she’s settled into her new job and new area. She’s interested in learning something new and would like to learn more about artificial intelligence.
“I’d like to stay sober and hold down a job for a long period of time. And I’d like to learn as much as I can. Amber has been a great stop gap to get my life on track and given me the ability to stop using so I can start my life afresh.”
Aidan's Story
Aidan is moving on from Amber to a job in Cyber Security at the Ministry of Defence.
"If it wasn't for coming to Amber I wouldn't have made it"
We have just said goodbye to Aidan, 24, from our Wiltshire centre, Bythesea Lodge. Excitingly he is moving on to a full-time job in Cyber Security at The Ministry of Defence following a rigorous interview process.
Before coming to Amber Aidan found himself homeless and unemployed due to problems at home;
“I left home after experiencing abuse from my Stepfather who lived with us at the time. It was awful; I lost all my confidence and motivation. I even ended up having to leave the University when I had just got a place. I just couldn’t cope.”
Aidan went to his local council for help who referred him to Amber.
“When I arrived at Amber, I was very nervous and apprehensive. I quickly realised that I was unprepared for life. I didn’t know how to look after myself properly and relied heavily on guidance from the staff.
After settling in, I started to learn valuable life skills and enjoyed being a part of a community again. I learnt how to talk and communicate with people, how to cook and took part in workshops focussing on things such as council tax and opening a bank account. All of this has helped me to become more confident in myself again and ready for life after Amber.”
After taking part in Amber’s programme of support, Aidan felt ready to start looking for employment again.
“I felt ready to focus on my future. With support from my Team Leader, I decided to apply for a job at the Ministry of Defence. Computer Programming has always been a passion and hobby of mine so I thought I would apply for a job that focussed on research and development and a position came up in cyber security. It was a really long interview process, and the security clearance took over 7 months. At points, I thought the day would never come but finally, I got the job offer. I can’t wait to start, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Aidan has secured move on accommodation with support from EveryYouth’s Housing Fund which he is grateful for
“The fund has really helped me. I am now looking forward to the next chapter in my life and I feel ready to move on and to live independently.”