'My mum told me to leave when I was a teenager and I had to sleep on park benches and under bridges'

When family relationships broke down Mitchell Crees says he was kicked out of the house for days at a time from the age of 13 and permanently aged 15. Now 29 with a job and a home Mitchell was homeless on and off throughout his teenage years.

As Christmas approaches he says he knows it’s a time that can bring conflict as well as joy. He hopes that sharing his story will help any other young people in crisis.

Growing up in Maesteg Mitchell admits he got in with “the wrong crowd” and was regularly drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis by the age of 13. Living at home with his single mum and his younger sister Mitchell says he caused trouble and his mum kicked him out for days at a time. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here

He cannot recall his school or any outside agencies being asked for help but says he slept on park benches and under bridges, using his pocket money for food, before his mother relented and took him back in. When he was 15 Mitchell and the family, which now included his mother’s new partner, moved to the Vale of Glamorgan.

He started his GCSE year at school, but the rows and conflict at home continued. He was unhappy and confused.

“I came home one day and my mum said I could not stay anymore and handed me a leaflet for (homeless charity) Llamau. I was half way through my GCSE year. I felt rejected and unwanted.”

Mitchell said he took a bus to Llamau’s offices in Barry alone. They arranged emergency accommodation for him and he was taken into local authority care as a looked after child under 16.

Placed with a couple in Barry he said they were very kind and he went to school intermittently, although he found that hard. He said he continued to use alcohol and drugs to self medicate for depression and what was later diagnosed as his borderline personality disorder.

Although life was disrupted Mitchell passed the GCSEs needed to get him a place for A levels at St David’s sixth form college in Cardiff and aged 16 he was moved to a Llamau hostel in Barry where he lived at that time. He admits his recollection of dates is poor, thanks to the amount of alcohol and drugs he took at the time, but after college he was given a council flat in Penarth, where he still lives.

“This all had a lasting impact on my mental health. When I was 21 I was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder by the NHS.

“I was diagnosed with depression at 16 and was drinking heavily from the age of 13 - vodka and martini. When I was 13 I was hanging out with older teenagers who shared their drugs and alcohol.”

Mitchell says it is only in the last year, since he found full time work at insurance firm Admiral, that he has changed his life around. Before that he says jobs in hospitality made it hard for him to have a healthy routine or security and there was too much easy access to alcohol.

He believes getting a job at insurance firm Admiral has been key to helping him change in the last year. He has not used drugs or drunk alcohol for 13 months and with regular work hours and income it’s easier to stay on track and feel good about himself.

It was at Admiral that Mitchell also got back in touch with homeless charity Llamau, when he learned it is one of the charities the company supports. From there he was asked to be a youth homeless ambassador for Llamau and has given talks to young homeless people and in the Senedd.

Mitchell says he wants young people, who are homeless, or worried they may become homeless to know that: “support is there and accessible and there are people who care.”

He said that when he was kicked out of home he felt his world was going to fall apart. He wants to give something back to the charity and people that helped him in that time of crisis.

“You can feel your world is falling around you and no one cares. What I went through no one should go through but it made me the person I am today and I am a lot stronger,” he says. "I have not taken alcohol or drugs for 13 months. I did that myself.”

Mitchell says he used drink and drugs as a “coping mechanism” and it was tough when aged 18 all care stopped as he was then considered an adult. At times he was suicidal.

Mitchell believes getting help from Llamau, a diagnosis for borderline personality disorder, recent therapy for that and his new job at Admiral has helped him turn his life around.

“Admiral has really supported me. My manager came to the team with a list of charities they support and I told them Llamau had supported me so they contacted Llamau. If it was not for Llamau I think I would still be homeless or maybe dead.

“I have done a lot of work on myself this last year and for once in my life I am looking forward to the future and believe there’s a future. I want to educate people that youth homelessness is a thing but there is help out there.”

Mitchell said he is now trying to build relationships with his mother. They are in contact and he may even cook her Christmas dinner this year.

In a statement Llamau said: “Behind every statistic is a story, and this year, Mitchell, one of Llamau’s Ambassadors, is sharing his own. Once a 15 year-old facing homelessness and a future filled with uncertainty, Mitchell is now thriving, thanks to Llamau’s support.

“His journey, marked by resilience, compassion, and life-changing guidance—serves, is a testament to the impact of our work.”

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