Reuben spent his childhood looking for a home after leaving his family at 10
TEENAGERS’ JOURNEY TOLD IN FILM BY FRAMEWORK CHARITY
A TEENAGER has told his emotional story of becoming homeless as a child and fighting to find a place to stay in for years.
Reuben Lamb was only 10 years old when he decided to move out of his family’s home.
The young man, who is now 19, was living with his mum and older brother at the time and said he did not meet his father until later in life.
Reuben said he left his home due to family arguments, and moved into his grandfather’s house in June 2012.
However, he said that arrangement “did not work out” and he found himself homeless once again.
The teenager added: “My grandfather did what was best for his household and we both agreed on that. Me and my cousin, who was also looked after my grandfather, were arguing all the time.
“I moved out on November 14 and I remember the exact date because it was two days after my birthday.”
Reuben was assigned a foster carer and has been moved from one place to another most of his childhood.
He described the relationships with some of his carers as “difficult”, and revealed heartbreaking episodes from his childhood.
In June 2013, Reuben was still looking for a place that he could call home. He spent a few days with a foster family in Bakersfield before being sent to another one in Beeston.
After finishing Year 6, Reuben moved to another school in Wollaton, hoping his house searching was over.
Recalling his time spent with one of the families, he added: “It was fine for like a year or so. But then, when the honeymoon period was over, things started to change.
“As a homeless child it sometimes feels like you are a pay cheque to some carers. At some point, they do not seem to care about you anymore.”
He said he said felt like he was “trapped” in a house he did not want to be in.
He added: “I felt like I should not be there and it was clear to me that the family did not want me in their house either.”
But Reuben’s journey was far from being over as he spent a few months in a foster care home in Leicestershire, before moving in with a new family in 2014.
The homeless child, only 14 at the time, said he finally found a place that he could call home later in June.
He added: “They were amazing, I finally felt like I had a family. They were great, absolutely fantastic and I felt like I was finally looked after.”
Reuben spent exactly three years with his foster family and left on June 31 in 2019.
He said: “We had a great relationship but it was a mutual decision that I would leave their house by then.”
Reuben said he was “ready to be independent”, so he put his name down on Framework’s waiting list hoping that he could turn his life around.
The homeless charity offered him a place in their service in West Bridgford in March 2020, before he was moved to a shared house in Beeston later in December.
Reuben’s dream of being independent started to take shape in February 2021, when he was offered his own flat in Arnold where he is now living.
He said he moved into the new property with financial aid from the Leaving Care Team, which is a service offered by the Nottinghamshire County Council to children or young people who cannot live with their families.
Reuben, who had always dreamed about being a physiotherapist, started an undergraduate sports course at the University of Colchester earlier this year.
He is now juggling his full-time course with a part-time job in retail, said he could not be prouder of himself.
Besides his academic and professional achievements, Reuben is also in a long-term relationship which taught him “to open up and speak about his emotions”.
He said: “We have been together since January 17, 2020.
“I am not a talker - but she made me realise how important it is to open up and we just went through a lot together.”
Reuben’s childhood experience is one of the four stories which inspired a series of short films to celebrate Framework’s 20th anniversary.
Each film highlights different aspects of Framework’s activity supporting people needing help with housing, employment, and support and care.
The videos have been produced by Nottingham-based filmmakers Luke Radford and Toby Curson, and showcase the work that has been going behind the scenes to help the vulnerable in the city.
The series can be seen online at https://www.youtube.com/user/ Frameworknottingham
To find out more about Framework and donate to the charity’s winter appeal, go to www.frameworkha.org.