'This charity found me a better place to live - it gave me hope'

Rica beat the odds to graduate after leaving care, but then faced homelessness

- BY DAVID COHEN

BRIGHT FUTURE Rica, right, with Aisling, her Settle support coach

It was January this year, the temperature was hovering just above zero, and for the third month in a row Rica had no hot water or working shower in her studio flat at an east London hostel. Her complaints to the hostel manager fell on deaf ears and, when she persisted, she was met with hostility. Her oven was also not firing, but Rica worried that if she complained too much she'd be kicked out and end up homeless again, so she tried to endure in silence.

At 23, Rica was determined to make the most of her life following a tough start. She had been taken into care at seven after a traumatic incident and her foster placement later broke down. Despite the pain and instability, she defied the odds and won a place at university - just 15 per cent of care leavers do, compared with 47 per cent of the general population - and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in theatre studies.

Rica felt proud of her achievement, but after finishing her degree, and with no family able to support her, she ended up sofa surfing at friends' homes and using her savings to stay in cheap hotels. Some weeks she had only £10 for food. Within two months her £5,000 savings were gone and she returned to London, broke and homeless. Her east London borough found her temporary accommodation in a hostel, but the strict rules (no visitors allowed) and poor conditions began to affect her mental health. Her social worker grew concerned.