Kai didn’t have the best start in life, when he was around the age of 10 his father physically started abusing his mum and his parents split up. This led to him getting involved with drugs and alcohol, and not attending school. When his mum had another child, Kai’s mum asked him to leave and he became homeless; switching between sofa surfing and living on the streets.
During his time living on the streets, Kai experienced constant fatigue and declining mental health. He had frequent mood swings, and often contemplated self-harm or suicide. Kai was referred to One YMCA by the council and he was over the moon when he was offered a place to stay. He was determined to improve his life and began, with One YMCA’s support, to take part in a weekly programme with the local Change Grow Live (CGL) team to overcome his drug and alcohol problems and improve his mental health. Kai particularly enjoyed taking part in One YMCA’s health and wellbeing programme, Project Resilience, attending gym and football sessions, and resident walks. Although he still struggles with his mental health, Kai feels his life is completely different now from when he first came to One YMCA. He has resumed his education and plans to do a football coaching course in his pursuit of becoming a football coach. He is also taking driving lessons to qualify for temporary jobs, and applying for a student loan to complete his football coaching course.
