In 2015 we started working with Become (previously called the Who Cares? Trust) to reach young care leavers who were suffering from loneliness and isolation. As we have seen throughout this month leaving care can be an isolating experience, and the young people who do often receive little support from previous foster homes and families or the local authority when things get tough. Two years ago we worked with Become to provide a new TV to Kayla: this is her story.
Care leavers – Kayla
Kayla was living in an area where she didn’t feel safe, especially after dark, so she spent a lot of time alone in her flat. When she was burgled, intruders took everything – including her TV, radio, phone and her laptop, meaning she also lost lots of work on her degree dissertation.
The shock and stress of the burglary made Kayla feel very low. “It had a really negative impact on me,” she says. “With no TV, no phone, I no longer had anything to distract me from feeling lonely – I had nothing to do at home. It was really depressing.”
Become applied for a TV on Kayla’s behalf. “The process was really easy. WaveLength sent someone to deliver the TV to my flat and help me install it. It really cheered me up – that there was an organisation that would help me like that, when everything had gone wrong.”
Two years on, Kayla has completed her degree and is working – and still watches the TV provided by WaveLength in the evenings when she wants to relax.