Meet James Harrington

Since HYELM was founded in 1926, we have had the pleasure of supporting thousands of young people with a helping hand towards a better life, giving them more independence, safe and quality affordable homes and security at a critical time in their life.

So nothing gives us more satisfaction in our cause than to hear, and share the stories of some of the brilliant people that we have been able to help.

Recently, we had the pleasure of sitting down with James Harrington, former resident, employee and friend of HYELM. Over to you James…

HOW DID YOU HYELM JOURNEY START:

Back in 2003, at the age of 23, I was working in Hampstead at a local cinema. I had been working there for a few months, the job was great and I was passionate about what I was doing. Despite loving that aspect of my life, I longed for a bit more independence. I was still living at home, having a 45 minute commute to work each day, and in reality spending more each month that I was earning, living from credit card to credit card. I would have loved to have lived locally, but just couldn’t see how in my situation I would be able to afford any form of suitable accommodation in that area of London.

By chance, one day my fortunes changed. I offered to help a friend move into her new apartment. It was a building just at the end of the road where I worked, called Arthur West House, an apartment building managed by HYELM.

In helping my friend to move her things into the accommodation, I was obviously a little jealous, and started to ask a few (cheeky) questions about who HYELM were, how she could afford to live there and how she applied. To my surprise by Sunday that same week, I was moving my own belongings into the building! It all happened so quickly, and I was so excited to have the independence I’d been wanting for so long.

WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE?

I quickly learnt at HYELM, that the experience was what you made of it. There was a great support structure there if you needed it from other residents and the HYELM team, but equally if you wanted your own space you had the freedom to do that.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love to talk, so obviously I got stuck in and thrived on the opportunity to meet new people. Within a couple of weeks, I knew everyone in the building, had arranged a weekly movie night and appointed myself as a fire marshall and got a seat on the residents management board! It was just a brilliant time, meeting new people, building new friendships and feeling like I was progressing and developing with the support of others.

To this day, 21 years later, my closest friends have come from my time at HYELM. It was an exciting time, we were a group of young people, all working towards something, and supporting each other. I should also mention at this point that this was where I met my partner so my time at HYELM certainly influenced my life.

When reaching the front door of the building, it felt like I was home at a safe place.

HOW DID LIVING AT HYELM HELP YOUR DEVELOPMENT?

I didn’t realise it at the time, but living at HYELM also played a key role in developing my career. Although I was working at a local cinema whilst a HYELM resident, to earn extra cash I would do a few odd jobs around the building, I helped out with some shifts on reception, acted as the building doorman from time to time, and most importantly I got the opportunity to manage some IT projects. It started out with helping to install a wireless network around the building for residents, but soon progressed into further IT support and eventually software development. At the time I had no real practical experience in these areas, other than doing some of my own IT tech, but HYELM believed in me and gave me a chance, it is something that I will never forget.

Gaining this initial experience gave me the confidence to approach several IT companies to see if they needed support too, which led to a full time role with an IT support company. I moved from company to company building skills and experience before eventually starting my own business in 2012, The Milk Men…which ironically I founded with a friend I had met whilst living at HYELM.

A few years passed with The Milk Men going from strength to strength, when in 2021 HYELM reached out to me, asking if I would be interested in bidding for an  IT contract they were putting out to tender. Of course, I jumped at the chance to once again support a charity that I was passionate about. It felt as if everything had come full circle, from being given that very first IT experience of installing a wireless network in 2003, now after winning the contract I was back at HYELM once again installing a new wireless network almost 20 years later. It is funny how things turn out!

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

Entering HYELM in 2003, I don’t mind admitting that I had some debt, I was living from credit card to credit card, and couldn’t really see a way of progressing. Leaving 3 years later, I had savings in my bank account for the first time, a goal of building my new IT business and the confidence to keep progressing forward.

I moved into a flatshare just a couple of streets away, and just kept progressing from there. I focused on building my business, kept in touch with many of my HYELM family, and worked with HYELM as an IT client for many years afterwards.

HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP YOUR TIME AT HYELM?

Overall it was very positive. I felt like it was a really important and stabilising part of my life. Most obviously it gave me the ability to have a place that I could call home, but far beyond that I built friendships there, I met my partner there, and it formed the start of my business. Still now I feel that HYELM is a part of who I am. I attend the AGM each year, feel very strongly about the support that they provide to young people who were just like me, and thank them for everything they do. They were there when I needed them.