Young people who once faced life on the streets of Birmingham have bravely shared how a local charity intervened to save them, offering a powerful message of hope this festive season.
"I don't think I'd be here": A life transformed
Speaking emotionally at St Basils' 'Big Sleepout' fundraiser at Millennium Point, which raised more than £43,000, 21-year-old Cory Hemming was frank about his past. "I'm not gonna lie, I don't think I'd be here," he told BirminghamLive, reflecting on a future without the charity's help. "St Basils saved my life, quite frankly."
Cory, who first came into contact with the charity when he was 18, was found by their outreach team in Sutton Coldfield after a difficult period. "During that time, the support, it's been class," he said. "It's given me the facilities to do what I wanted all my life. They've done a lot for me - through every single situation I've been in."
From "lost child" to youth advisor
Another young man, 24-year-old Bradley Pluck, described feeling like a "lost child" when he was evicted from shared accommodation four years ago. "I genuinely felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders," he recalled.
Bradley warmly credits St Basils with lifting him up. "They really did lift me up," he said. "They understood me as a person." His journey has been so transformative that he is now a member of the charity's youth advisory board, helping others to "speak up and make a change". At the sleepout, he applauded the participants: "For someone who's been there, and really seen the worst of it, and for this to happen each year, it's incredible."
Ongoing support for life skills and housing
The charity's work extends far beyond initial crisis intervention. Kai-Jordan, 19, was "all over the place" and sofa-surfing before being referred to St Basils. "They got me a property and helped me with money management - all of the adult stuff, life skills," he explained.
Remarkably, the support continued even after he was housed. "Even though I've got my council property, they still come over weekly to help me with my bills, everything that I need for life," Kai-Jordan added.
Kyron McCullock, who works on St Basils' outreach team, is on the front line in Birmingham city centre every day. "As soon as we find them, we signpost them for accommodation, or whatever services they need - whether that's mental health, drug misuse," he stated. He also runs creative projects, from arts to music, using his own childhood experiences to inform his work. "It's a good release for mental health," he noted.
The annual Big Sleepout event, which saw dozens bed down in the cold, serves to highlight the harsh reality faced by rough sleepers across the West Midlands. St Basils continues its vital mission of supporting vulnerable young people aged 16 to 25, proving that with the right help, futures can be rebuilt.
