 Kaimo is taking A-levels despite her personal circumstances |
The obstacles to getting an education when you don't have a home are unimaginable to those teenagers who grow up in a more stable environment. Eighteen-year-old Kaimo has lived with that reality since she was 15. The A-level student lives alone in a Centrepoint hostel in central London. As she puts it, there's no one to pull the duvet off her each morning and make sure she gets off to college. Family problems led to Kaimo leaving home three years ago. She describes her dad as "strict" and only reluctantly mentions there are problems in her relationship with her stepmother. "When I left I camped out at an uncle's house for a while but couldn't stay long. I ended up at a Centrepoint refuge.  |  It was really difficult to revise because I didn't have my own room and I was just sleeping in the sitting room |
"Social services got involved. That made it harder to go back home because my family have always felt they don't want anything to do with them. "At that point I went to my aunt's house. I was supposed to be there for a week or so but I ended up staying for about a year. The refuge contacted Kaimo's school and, she says, the head of her year was "quite understanding". "I tried to go in whenever I could but it was a bit difficult because it was really far from the refuge to the school." When she moved into year 11 she was still staying with her aunt. She may not have realised at the time that she was one of the country's estimated 380,000 'hidden homeless' - people who are not sleeping on the streets but existing in hostels, B&Bs, squats and with family and friends. "It was really difficult to revise because I didn't have my own room and I was just sleeping in the sitting room. "If my cousins had their friends over I had to wait until they left before I could go to sleep. I didn't really have a fixed place where I could study, and to be honest it was hard to feel motivated. Exam disappointment "I got along with my aunt but there was a problem with space. I just felt like she was just doing me a favour." Kaimo was predicted good grades but did miss one GSCE exam due to illness - her doctor suspected it was stress. "He referred me to a psychiatrist, and I thought that would make it even worse. My aunt she said 'that means he probably thinks there's something wrong with you'. "I didn't want to go because I thought it might go on my record and if I wanted to apply for a job they would think I was mad." Kaimo took 10 GSCEs, and from a predicted nine A-C passes she came out with four. "I was very disappointed. In certain subjects a lot of it was to do with coursework. "You don't expect the teachers to do you favours, but you do expect them to be considerate. They marked my coursework to the minimum, taking into account my punctuality and attendance." | I didn't know anything about benefits, so I was just going along with what they were saying |
When Kaimo applied to City and Islington sixth form college, she persuaded them to let her take three AS-levels, in film studies, performing arts and photography. "By the summer I was back at my dad's. My aunt had really begged me to go." "It wasn't working but everyone was trying. When she got good results - two Bs and a C - she phoned her dad to give him the news and went out with her cousin to celebrate. But after she missed her curfew that night he refused to let her back into the house. "I called the police, but when they came they said my dad was right. I was only wearing a summer vest, so I asked them to go into the house and get me a jumper." Kaimo, then 17, stayed with her aunt until she was referred to the hostel. Benefits confusion Before starting back at college for her A-levels she was preoccupied with "running around from agency to agency trying to get benefits" as she was under pressure to become financially independent. She was passed from the Jobcentre Plus to Connexions, where they tried to persuade her to switch to vocational qualifications, to qualify for Job Seekers Allowance. "I didn't know anything about benefits, so I was just going along with what they were saying." When she explained she wanted to stay in full-time education she was sent back to the Jobcentre to claim Income Support. "Even then I had a lot of problems - I was born in this country, but my birth certificate was at my dad's. What I had was my passport, which is a Ghanaian. "The benefits people said I had to fill out another application because I had travelled out of the country within the year.  Not all homeless people are living on the streets |
"The Income Support application form was really difficult, and the other form was even worse because it was saying 'how long had I been in this country for' and 'when was I planning to go back' and stuff like that. "I was thinking, what is this? "It was really frustrating and I ended up leaving it all the time because I just didn't have the energy. "Meanwhile I was living on hardly anything and having to walk everywhere because I couldn't afford a bus pass." The government says changes announced earlier this year will make the whole system of benefits and allowances to young people "fairer, less complicated and more accessible". When she started college Kaimo was yo-yoing from place to place to find somewhere to live, before her college advisor gave her an application for Centrepoint, which works with homeless 16-25 year olds. She moved into their Soho hostel, giving her a room of her own and a shared bathroom and kitchen for six months. Benefits of around £43 a week cover the £18.42 hostel bill, and a key worker is there to help with tasks such as looking for somewhere to move onto once her time is up. Moving forward Because of everything that happened Kaimo said she didn't get the chance to research applying for a university place. She plans to take a gap year if she can find an affordable option, then would like a career as an actress. "I speak to my dad sometimes, and to my mum, who lives in Surrey with my three sisters. I tell her not to worry about me." As for having someone to drag the duvet off her, wouldn't she like that some days? "I've sort of passed that stage now. I don't like to go backwards, just keep moving forwards."
| 
One-Minute World News 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
BBC News
Bookmark with:
What are these?