Kevin, Manager, Homeless Service and Co Production Lead.

I started at You Matter in Sept 2014 – I was also a resident at Leeds St in 2007 when I was coming to the end of a 26 year addiction to drugs and 22 years of experiencing homelessness. With the support of You Matter, I turned my life around.

I enjoy working for You Matter because the organisation care deeply about the people they work alongside. The organisation sees all the people that are accommodated within their services as individuals and tailors the support they provide to meet the needs of each person. This gives value and consideration to each person.

My proudest moment whilst working at You Matter was to be appointed as a manager after starting my journey as a support practitioner. I have the pleasure of managing my own service, working to support people experiencing homelessness.

I don’t have a typical day as the beauty of working within my role is that it is never the same day twice. What I do on a regular basis is come in and manage the team. I also deal with concerns with, and from residents, make sure that residents are supported through difficult times, allocating staff to different tasks, managing finances, working alongside external services and offering support where needed, managing risk, health and safety amongst lots of other things.

I love my job because I get to work with an amazing staff and meet lots of people from diverse backgrounds. I have been able to take gratitude knowing I have the ability to help people and use my own life experience and understanding in doing so. I am hoping this journey continues for a long time.