Meabh

You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I am 22 years old and homeless.

I first became homeless when I was 16. For years I moved between family, friends’ sofas and sometimes the street. I was still just a kid the first time it happened, and I thought, “I’ll just make it work.”

It’s easy to slip into having no phone, no energy to search for help and no way of getting into an office to ask for advice. At points I was working, but without somewhere stable to live, I couldn’t hold down a job.

I slept on a park bench in North Belfast, and then on the streets in the city centre for two months. Every morning at 9am I stood outside the Housing Executive before the shutters were even up. I called them every day and every evening. It took time, but eventually they found me a place in Simon Community’s young person’s accommodation service in south Belfast. That changed everything.

I’ve been living here since November 2024, along with other young people who are trying to move forward in their lives.

For me, Simon Community has been respite. When you’re homeless, you don’t feel safe and, without safety, you can’t do anything. You can’t get a job. You can’t better your life. You can’t get yourself out of the situation that got you here in the first place.

When I look around my room now, it’s not the fridge that’s important. It’s not the mirror, the mattress, the toilet or the shower.

It’s the door with the lock on it.

Here, I feel safe.

There is a community here. I’ve made friends I hope to keep for a long time. The staff have supported me, and I’m getting back on my feet — I have a job lined up and I’m hopeful for the future.

But the building we live in here in South Belfast is about to close for two years so it can be refurbished. Work begins in March, and we can’t stay here while that happens. Without another building available to take us in, we will be separated and moved to different places.

The plan was for us to move together into a new building on Glen Road in West Belfast, but that has been paused after concerns were raised by some local people that it may have a negative impact on their community.

I understand why people might feel worried. Everyone worries about change, myself included.

But this new service on Glen Road means there will be 26 safe spaces for people like me. Young people aged 18 to 25 years old who have nowhere else to go.

I want people to know two things about homelessness.

First: no matter how well you think you’re doing in life, you’re only ever a few steps away from being homeless. Every member of your family, your friends, they are too. It’s easier to end up here than most people think.

Second: no one gets out of homelessness by themselves. It’s a scramble for survival every single day. Organisations like Simon Community are saving lives. I don’t know where I would be without them.

For young people like us, having somewhere safe to live isn’t just about a bed. It’s about the door with the lock on it. And being part of a community that accepts you makes all the difference. Feeling accepted gives you the capacity to move forward in your life.

I want people to know that the situations that bring someone to homelessness are not as far away as most people think. No matter how well you’re doing, you’re only ever a few steps away. One day this service could be needed by someone you care about.

Homelessness is not a choice, and it’s not a life sentence. I’m not looking for sympathy — I’m asking for a chance. The same chance every young person deserves.

If you or someone you know is experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, please contact us at 0800-171-2222 or click here to Learn more about the support we provide.

At Simon Community, we respect everyone who comes to us for help. This client’s identity has been changed to protect their privacy.