Losing your job is tough for anyone. But when you’re a young person living alone and can no longer afford the rent, the impact on your life can be devastating.

That was the situation Caroline* found herself in. After losing her job, she quickly fell into rent arrears. Her mental health issues made things even harder to deal with. Caroline is diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum and has trouble communicating. Her stress and anxiety compounded this and the relationship with her landlord broke down to the point where the landlord wanted her to leave.

Caroline was lost and confused with nowhere else to turn. She approached our Youth AIMS service, which offers advice on housing and other issues, free of charge for any young person. The Youth AIMS team was able to help Caroline by mediating with the landlord to buy her some more time.

Youth AIMS is also able to provide funds to help young people back into work. Caroline found herself a full-time job working night shifts, but due to her period of unemployment, she couldn’t afford the £75 a month train fare to get to her new job. We were able to pay for her transport for the first month, until she received her first salary payment.

“I am really pleased I can start working again,” Caroline said. “I was worrying about how I was going to afford the travel ticket. I don’t need to worry anymore.”

Now that Youth AIMS has helped Caroline back to work, she can afford to find a new private rental and we can give her the support she needs to move on.

Caroline is feeling more confident and hopeful for the future and we are delighted to have helped her get back on track.

Find out more about our Youth AIMS advice service here.

* Not her real name.