Merseyside Accommodation Project

(supporting homeless teenagers)

Adele came to MAP when she was 16. She had never met her mother and was living with her father. In a drunken state her father burnt the house to the ground and was then considered by social services as unfit to care for her. At this time Adele was quite alone and very much in despair. MAP householders Brenda and Steve took her in and she soon settled down as part of the family. Adele wanted to do a National Nursery Educational Board course but unfortunately this was not possible, so she decided to do something completely different and opted for a mechanics course to everyone's surprise. With MAP's support she found her mother living in Yorkshire and a visit was arranged. At Christmas she went to stay with her mother and was eventually invited to live with her mother on a permanent basis in Leeds. Adele readily accepted and is now very happy and has a job. As with most of our young clients who move on Adele keeps in touch and in particular with her former MAP householders Pam and John.

David 17 was referred to MAP after having been admitted to the Royal Liverpool Hospital as a result of taking an overdose. At the initial meeting with his MAP fieldworker he described his family past as being violent. In fact, great tension had built up between himself and his father, which at times spilled over into physical confrontation. He felt so depressed about the family situation, which was affecting his studies, that he came to what he calls "a brutal piece of logic" - to commit suicide. David was placed with a householder immediately, where he soon found his feet and settled down to a calmer and more secure way of life. He feels that this period of security helped him mature, and it wasn't long before MAP was able to find him an independent flat through a local housing association.

David continued to study, encouraged by his fieldworker, he was accepted to the City University in London. In his last few months in Liverpool, David paid several visits to his family and he has now reconciled himself to them. David is a classic example of how the MAP system works; in his own words, he was given the opportunity to make a fresh start in life without all the pressures he had previously endured. Not only is he an academic success, but also his improved relationship with his family is an added bonus.