Homeless Helpline: 'I left home at 16 - it was a scary time - but now I am off to university'

Young homeless: Dale left home at 16
Lucy Young
Matt Watts1 February 2017

When Dale Taylor-Gentles became homeless at 16, his dream of going to university seemed a world away.

A breakdown in his relationship with his mother meant he had lived with his elderly grandmother, Bernice, in Brixton, south London, since he was 12 – acting as her primary carer when she had a stroke and developed dementia.

But her condition worsened and she had to go into a care home in 2014.

At the age of 16 he couldn’t again endure the bitter rows with his mother, so he ended up homeless and “sofa-surfing”, staying with friends and other relatives.

Young carer: Dale with his grandmother Bernice
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“It was a scary time,” he said.” I didn’t know where I was going to spend the next night and if I was going to be able to make it to college the next day. I wanted to focus on my education but that was suffering.”

He was eventually placed in Centrepoint accommodation in Camberwell, south London. They gave him a mentor who helped him keep his studies on track and apply for university.

He passed his A-levels after getting an unconditional offer to study at the University of East London, where, now aged 19, he is in his first year of a degree in sociology and criminology.

During his time with the charity, he has also chaired the Centrepoint Parliament, lobbying Government on youth homelessness issues, including mental health, and being congratulated on his work by both Prime Minister Theresa May and Centrepoint’s patron, Prince William.

Homeless patron: Dale meeting Prince William
David Montieth-Hodge

He hopes to work in counter terrorism and national security after graduating.

He said it was “incredible” the Centrepoint Helpline was to launch and would be a lifeline to at least 30,000 people turned away each year by local authorities with little or no support.

Dale at the University of East London docklands campus where he is studying Sociology and Criminology
Lucy Young

“When I first looked for help from my local council they said I needed to go home to my mother,” he said. “I had to have the strength to keep going back for help, tell them I couldn’t go home. Some people might not have, so the advice and support the helpline will give them will be vital.”

The Evening Standard's Homeless Helpline appeal is raising money for the Centrepoint Helpline, a brand new support service that will save young people from ending up on the streets.

To donate please visit our Just Giving page.

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