Today LandAid launched First Step, a new appeal to fund eight key emergency accommodation projects across England, providing homeless young people their first step out of homelessness.
At LandAid, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of young people who are homeless this year and our mission to end youth homelessness has become even more vital . Calls to national youth homelessness helplines indicate that there has been a 33% increase in the number of young people experiencing homelessness this year, compared with last. With a chronic lack of emergency accommodation for young people, the First Step appeal is critical.
The campaign marks the first step in our ambition to create 1,000 homes for young homeless people and to be delivering £1m of pro bono each year by 2024. Its a big ambition, but one we believe we can achieve with the help of the industry.
Homelessness is not inevitable. For young people who find themselves approaching charities for help across the country, they have often found themselves facing homelessness through no fault of their own. Many young homeless people grow up in poverty, overcrowded homes and have experience of the care system. All of these factors lead to them starting lower down the ladder than perhaps many of us – making this ladder seem that much steeper and reaching the top seem so much further way.
At LandAid, we know that with the right support and guidance, life doesn’t have to be this way.
With the property industry behind it, the First Step appeal will provide hundreds of vulnerable young people with a route out of homelessness and onto the rest of their lives, helping them to reach their full potential.
Together, we can end youth homelessness