Homelessness: Living on a prayer

Sam Mitchell, Hannah Marcou and centre manager, John Irvine

An award-winning hostel in Huntingdon is testament to the work that The Salvation Army does every day with young, homeless people.

Kings Ripton Court is one of 57 homes in the UK offering shelter, support and education to people aged 16 to 35.

The youngsters are allocated a key worker and are encouraged to study and get involved in community activities.

One resident said: "We are really trying to achieve something in life and we are getting plenty of help here."

But how do teenagers become homeless, what happens to them, and who can they turn to for support?

Sam and Hannah found themselves in just such a situation and were lucky enough to be offered help by The Salvation Army.

Here, they share their experiences of being homeless and explain what life is like at the hostel in Kings Ripton Court in Huntingdon.

Sam Mitchell, 18

I came to Kings Ripton Court in March 2008 and, to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. A friend had to encourage me to actually go in. Once there I kept myself to myself for a couple of weeks, not because it was that bad but going to live anywhere new can be intimidating.

I was born in Putney in south west London, the third of four brothers, and ended up being homeless after a serious breakdown in family relationships, although I'm in touch with my mum now.

Sam's proud of the award that Kings Ripton Court won for its activities

Being here has actually helped me a lot. I've just completed a college course and we are encouraged to study and get involved in the activities. There is a lot to do and that can only be good for us living here.

I've just finished a college course and I'm writing my first book right now - a fantasy adventure story.

Aside from all this, I am looking forward to studying Performing Arts and Music at Peterborough Regional College this year, and then hopefully go to LIPA (the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts), a specialist school for the performing arts.

My aim is to emulate my idols like Daniel Radcliffe, who is inspiring because he came from a small town to become one of the richest people under 20 in Britain. There's also John Barrowman who is a really versatile performer - he sings, he dances and he acts, too.

I'll have a much better chance of making it from being at Kings Ripton Court. I hadn't heard much about The Salvation Army before I came to live here but now I know what good work they do. I've met some really nice people here, like Hannah, and the staff here are great.

The funny thing is that when people find out where I live, I get sympathy from a lot of them and I have to tell people that actually I'm alright! I am really happy to be staying at Kings Ripton Court rather than some of the other places that I could have been sent to, especially after all that has happened to me.

Note: Sam's keyworker at Kings Ripton says that Sam is enjoying his college course immensely and she'll be watching him act in his first play at Christmas. Sam is still living at the hostel but has been nominated for independent living accommodation.

Hannah Marcou, 19

I haven't got much of a Cockney accent even though I actually come from Finsbury Park in London. I ended up not having anywhere to live when my family broke up.

You might be surprised to know that I actually studied mechanics at one point and I've also studied as a make-up artist, which is a lot of fun, although I've lost my portfolio after all the stuff that has gone on.

The last thing I have studied is a course in youth work here at Kings Ripton Court while working part-time at a local supermarket. The course was called Young Lives and it's inspired me to work, not with young people, but older ones!

Hannah was left with nowhere to live when her family split up

Seeing how staff here help us has inspired me to want to work with and help people as a care supervisor. It's also probably because I lived with my nan in London for a long time.

Maybe like me, before I came to live here, you didn't know much about The Salvation Army or only thought they looked after older people. Well, now you know they care for youngsters like me and Sam, too.

Some might think that we are all addicts in Salvation Army hostels but that isn't true. We are really trying to achieve something in life and we are getting plenty of help here.

I went with some of the other residents to Derbyshire for an awards ceremony where Kings Ripton Court won a national award for the activities and training it puts on. It was great to be there and see what else is being done by The Salvation Army across the UK.

Note: Hannah has now left the hostel, has a job and is living independently in St Neots.