I’m Grace* and I’m 25 years old. I was in foster care growing up and moved to Edinburgh when I was a teenager. I developed learning difficulties at an early age and had to wear glasses. I was bullied at school due to my looks and struggled to make friends.

School was not the best for me, I didn’t get the best grades. I was more of a quiet person and felt shy meeting new people. After I left school I was diagnosed with autism.

I moved out of my parents house because I was physically and emotionally abused and there were financial problems. I sofa surfed with friends for a while. I had known about my local EveryYouth charity, The Rock Trust, since college but it was at this point that I found out about their housing support services.

The Rock Trust moved me into their supported accommodation, where I stayed for years, before they helped me to secure my own one-bedroom flat. It feels really good to have my own permanent place. I sleep much better. I struggled to sleep when I was moving from place to place all the time.

My support worker helped me move in and apply for grants so I could buy furniture and basic necessities like bedding and a washing machine. I still needed to buy a few more things for the flat so the EveryYouth Homed programme helped to cover these costs. My Rock Trust support worker also taught me how to pay bills such as council tax because I didn’t know anything about it.

“It feels really good to have my own permanent place. I sleep much better. I struggled to sleep when I was moving from place to place all the time.”

The Rock Trust helped me a lot in terms of budgeting, booking appointments such as for the GP and dentist, and even grocery shopping. They showed me which forms to fill out because that’s something I struggle with, and I attended some cooking classes at their Hub in Edinburgh.

I volunteer at the British Heart Foundation every week. It keeps me busy but I’m also looking for a job. I didn’t grow up with money and it wasn’t always there. Right now I’m interested in pursuing dental nursing and I’m also interested in retail and fashion.

My advice to other people in a similar situation would be to do activities that you enjoy to keep your mind off being homeless. I used to keep myself busy with my friends and always felt better when I had someone to talk to.

*Name has been changed.

Find out how we support young people like Grace through our Homed programme.