Luckily Centrepoint was, and remains, a place for young people to take shelter. That feeling of not fitting in draws them to places like London where there is thought to be a sense of belonging, thanks to its long-established LGBTQ+ communities.īut without pre-established connections, many LGBT youth find themselves sleeping rough. Research has found an alarming amount of people find themselves forced out of their family or community upon revealing their sexual orientation, and this is one of the main reasons LBGT youth tend to leave home. London is many things to many people, and has always been a beacon city for the UK’s LGBTQ+ youth. This was in part due to house price inflation mounting unemployment a rise in drug, alcohol and mental health problems and a ban on 16- and 17-year-olds claiming housing benefits. The want to put a roof over as many heads as possible came as homelessness soared in London through the 80s during Margaret Thatcher’s administration. But of course, they occasionally took in more, “The most we ever had was 42 – it was a bit of a nightmare, there were mattresses all over the floor. Working in the shelter was, to put it lightly, “a pattern that was very disruptive to one’s sleep!”Īt the time they took in 30 young people a night, many of whom had just arrived in London. Linda Hill started working at the night shelter in Soho in May 1979, becoming Team Leader the next year and staying until January 1986.