Brad stayed with friends and on couches - until he ran out of friends and couches

28 years ago, when Brad* was only 12 years old, his parents asked him to leave home and not to return - he was no longer welcome.

Brad stayed with friends and on couches – until he ran out of friends and couches. With nowhere else to go, he took to living on the streets. He continued to show up for school during the day so he would get a small government subsidy to survive on. It was on the streets where he first heard about Hutt St Centre, and started coming in as a teenager. The team at Hutt St Centre wasted no time when he started coming in on his own. They assisted him into emergency shelter, then helped find him private rental of his own.

“Hutt St Centre was a rock when I needed it most. It was the only place I could go to when things got really bad and they helped me when no one else did,” he says. “It seems Hutt St Centre is the place where I find happiness, whether it’s the centre as a whole or the genuine kindness of the angels who work there.”

From there, Brad started working in a private construction business which he ended up taking over. His life now is a far cry from that of the boy who lived on the streets and he’s grateful to Hutt St Centre for helping him get back on his feet when he needed it most. In his own words “You and your organisation are true life savers!”.

Thank you Brad for kindly letting us share you story. 

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the person who kindly gave permission to share their experience.