One of the things we’re proud of at LandAid is that as well as investing over £1 million every year in projects working to end youth homelessness, we never just write a cheque and walk away. We work alongside the charities we help, bringing in property expertise and often funding them more than once. Our most recent grants round has been dedicated to restoring empty properties to give more young people secure accommodation. As these projects progress, we’re keen to hear how things are getting on – and want to keep you in the loop as well! From the young people involved in the construction work to the new features that are making the accommodation more homely, here’s the latest on some of the projects we’ve recently funded.
We have funded Action Housing‘s conversion of an office block into quality accommodation for young people and were pleased to hear that many young volunteers have been involved in the project – with impressive results. Nine young people have achieved a health and safety in construction qualification, two have gained CSCS cards and one has gone on to become a self-employed roofer! Many hands clearly make light work on the building site too, with great progress being made. The roof work is finished, bathroom and kitchen fixtures installed, and the communal kitchen is complete, which as well as providing cooking facilities for young people, will give the workers that all-important spot for their tea breaks.
Our grant to Canopy Housing will help turn three empty properties into decent affordable housing for young people and has given them the chance to learn valuable construction skills at the same time. A team of 6 young people and volunteers received training in painting and decorating, which they put to use straightaway by painting and decorating the first home – not only has this kept the project on track but it’s created a great team spirit on site.
We’ve given Community Campus a grant to convert two empty properties into homes for young people at risk of becoming homeless. For the first property, they’ve engaged four young volunteers – two apprentices and two construction trainees – who have been busy replacing the central heating system and installing a new kitchen and bathroom. All this hard work has paid off, with the house being ready to decorate within a month.
It’s a fantastic feeling when another one of our projects is completed, so we’re delighted that Fairthorne YMCA‘s new home for young homeless mothers and their infants, which we helped fund, has now opened. All bedspaces have been filled and when all the babies are born, the home will shelter seven single young homeless mothers and eight infants aged under two. As well as providing the young women with childcare classes and education programmes, the project covers the full cost of rent and services for the residents.
For all those involved, the mission to provide vulnerable young people with secure accommodation is incredibly rewarding. We’ve given you just a sample of the projects we are funding but you can see all our projects that are tackling youth homelessness on our website. Find out how you can support them and visit them to see the people and places that your donations are helping.