For Katelin, becoming a midwife was a dream she first imagined while living alone in a hostel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, at 23, that dream is about to become reality as she starts her career working full-time in a hospital.
But getting there was far from straightforward.
Katelin left her family home shortly after her 17th birthday following years of difficulties at home. With limited housing options available to her because of her age, she eventually moved into a hostel, where she spent around two years.
It was far from the stable home she needed. But rather than letting her circumstances define her future, Katelin used the time to think about what she wanted from life. She created a five-year plan – and becoming a midwife was at its heart.
Then she discovered Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme.
Moving from the hostel into her own Centrepoint flat gave Katelin something she had been missing: a safe, stable home where she could develop the skills and confidence to live independently. She had support when she needed it, but also the freedom to learn how to manage her own bills, council tax and household responsibilities.
“The transition was incredibly easy,” Katelin recalls. “I felt that support the whole three years that I lived in a Centrepoint property.”
Crucially, the programme also gave Katelin the stability to pursue her ambition. When she decided to leave work and study full-time for her midwifery degree, Centrepoint worked with her to extend her tenancy. When she struggled to manage her finances around termly student loan payments, staff helped her find a way to manage her rent and bills.
That flexibility made the difference.
“I wouldn’t be able to say that I’m a midwife now if it wasn’t for me living at the independent living scheme,” she says. “Doing a degree just wouldn’t have been feasible whilst working a full-time job.”
After three years, Katelin has now moved on from her Centrepoint home. She is starting her career, building a life with her partner and looking ahead to finding a home of their own.
Most importantly, she says she feels ready.
“I feel like I know what I have to do and how to manage my finances. I just feel like how any other adult should feel at this point in their lives.”
Katelin’s story is a powerful example of what can happen when young people are given more than accommodation – they are given stability, support, independence and the opportunity to build the future they want.
That is why Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme has been shortlisted for the London Homelessness Awards 2026 – celebrating the people and projects across London that are making a real difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
And for Katelin, the impact is simple: she has the career she dreamed of – and a future she can now shape for herself.
Photo by Marcel Fagin on Unsplash