Cardinal Hume - Glynn's story

Here it's about what can we do to stop that cycle continuing?

Glynn has worked at the Cardinal Hume Centre since January 2020, bringing together two parts of his career that have always mattered to him – youth work and homelessness support.

‘I trained as a youth and community worker and did that for about four years,’ he says. ‘Then I moved into homelessness services, working with adult rough sleepers for seven years – night shelters, day centres, hostels, everything in between.’

When the role managing supported accommodation for young people came up, it felt like the right fit.

‘What’s special about the Cardinal Hume Centre is it’s a chance to get in early,’ Glynn says, ‘To work with young people when they first experience homelessness, rather than years down the line.’

That early intervention is what drives him.

‘I’ve worked with people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who’ve experienced poverty growing up and rough sleeping on and off. Here it’s about asking – what can we do now to stop that cycle continuing?’

For anyone thinking about moving into the hostel, Glynn is clear about what matters first.

‘It starts with safety,’ he says. ‘This is a place where you can feel safe to get your head down at night. A place where you can take a breath. From there, we can start to look at what comes next.’

A typical day starts with understanding what has happened overnight – checking in with staff, making sure everyone is safe, and picking up any immediate concerns. But for Glynn, the most important moments are the conversations with residents.

‘The best parts are when people come in and talk about what’s going on in their lives,’ he says. ‘It might be someone preparing to move into private rented housing, or someone struggling with a benefits issue. It’s a real mix – face-to-face support and working with other teams across the Centre.’

Having everything under one roof makes a real difference, especially when everyday tasks can feel difficult or overwhelming.

‘If someone needs help with their benefits, a welfare rights adviser can come up and meet them here,’ he says. ‘This is their home, so they don’t have to travel somewhere unfamiliar or try to navigate a system that might feel intimidating. For some people, that’s not something they could manage right now. Having that support come to them makes a huge difference.’

The same applies across the Centre’s services.

‘We work closely with the employment and learning team, housing advisers – everyone,’ Glynn explains. ‘It means we can join things up quickly and make sure people get the right help at the right time, without them falling through the gaps.’

At the heart of his work is the Centre’s ethos that each person matters.

‘We get to know people properly – what they’ve been through, what’s going on for them – so we can respond in a way that works for them. It’s not one-size-fits-all.’

Alongside that, he focuses on creating a warm and welcoming environment.

‘I hope people feel warmth when they come here,’ he says. ‘We keep the office door open, we call out to people in the hallway – I always want to make people laugh when they walk past.’

Glynn says progress can look very different from one person to another.

‘I’m proud whenever someone is able to look forward,’ he says. ‘That might be someone planning their future career. But it might also be someone who’s started taking care of themselves – wearing clean clothes, getting a routine. There isn’t a scale. One’s no better than the other.’

What matters is that change is happening, at the right pace for each person.

‘I hope people feel welcome, comfortable, and that this can be their home for a while,’ he says. ‘From there, we can take steps together towards the future.’