How can we help?
1. Prevention is key.
The government currently spends £8.5 billion a year on ‘tackling homelessness’ across the UK, however much of this is directed towards patching up the problem, rather than addressing the root cause.
Investing in youth specific emergency accommodation and more truly affordable housing, in addition to providing the tools and resources needed to live independently and thrive in employment, would enable more young people to reach their full potential and be less reliant on support from local authorities.
Here at LandAid, with the remarkable support of the property and wider built environment industry, we have given out over £1 million pounds worth of grants – spanning our Safe Spaces, Capital Grants and Move-On programmes – to charities throughout the UK between 2023/2024, to enable young people to take steps forwards, and towards independent living.
Alongside this, our Employability Programme – which in collaboration with SEGRO and our corporate partner network, aims to support young people facing homelessness to develop the skills and confidence to find paid employment – has supported 142 young people to date, 20 of which are now in permanent, full-time employment.
LandAid’s Build to Rent Pathfinder initiative also sees us partnering with a growing number of Build to Rent providers to expand the opportunities for young people to move-on from temporary accommodation to secure housing.
By supporting young people into employment, education and training, and giving more young people the opportunity to live independently in a supportive, sustainable environment, collaboratively we can help more young people to break the cycle of homelessness.
2. The narrative of ‘what homelessness is’ needs to change.
There’s often a misconception that homelessness is situation of one’s own making. Yet, for many young people (between 16-25 years in particular) homelessness is not a choice, but a terrible circumstantial outcome.
Family breakdown, parental financial instability, rejection due to sexual orientation, leaving care, mental health issues and domestic violence – are just a fraction of some of the experiences that lead thousands of young people every year to seek support.
3. No two young people are the same.
Young people simply want to feel seen and heard.
Young people are more than just statistics or ‘cases’. They are all individuals – as are their journeys and homelessness experiences.
Information and support available needs to be clear, inclusive and accessible. Differences across localities, departments and organisations can lead to confusion and inefficiency in terms of time and resources.
Thinking only about short term stability and housing, means there is little energy or thought given to the future aspirations of so many young people facing homelessness. The social injection these young people could bring to their local communities is huge, yet sadly there is a real waste of profound potential.
In the words of Toni-Ann, headline conference speaker and former CentrePoint resident who was supported through her homelessness journey: ‘Home is where the heart is. The only home I know is 24-7 despair. I know who I could be, who I should be. I don’t want to be rich, I just want to be stable’.
These powerful words were extracted from a poem written by Toni-Ann, and it was powerful for our team, and all in attendance, to hear these spoken.
