Donate

Charity Spotlight: Amber

At LandAid, we connect the property industry with frontline charities like Amber Foundation, helping young people facing homelessness access a place to live, and the support, skills and opportunities to build independent futures. Together with our supporters, LandAid is helping create the foundations young people need to move beyond homelessness and towards lasting stability.

Location

The Amber Foundation - Devon, Chawleigh, Chulmleigh, UK

For young people facing homelessness, a safe place to stay can be the difference between surviving and moving forward. With the support from LandAid, the Amber Foundation supports young people experiencing homelessness, unemployment and complex life challenges to rebuild stability, confidence and independence.

Thanks to LandAid, Amber is creating pathways out of homelessness and into brighter futures, proving that when safe housing is combined with the right support, young people can achieve extraordinary things. Read along to find out more about what LandAid funding is making possible, and how together we are changing the lives of countless young people.

More than a roof over a head: why stability matters.

More than a roof over a head: why stability matters.

Youth homelessness is about far more than not having a place to sleep. For thousands of young people across the UK, homelessness is the result of a complex mix of challenges: family breakdown, poor mental health, care experience, unemployment, insecure housing and a lack of support when they need it most.

Without stability, it becomes incredibly difficult to plan for the future. Education suffers, employment becomes harder to access and sustain, confidence declines and wellbeing deteriorates.

That’s why safe housing matters.

A stable place to live provides more than shelter. It creates the foundation young people need to recover, rebuild confidence and take positive steps towards independence. Ending youth homelessness requires more than emergency accommodation alone:  Young people need long-term support, opportunities and pathways into sustainable housing. That’s where charities like Amber play a vital role.

It’s also where the property industry can make a meaningful difference.

Through funding, housing expertise, employability opportunities and partnerships, the property sector has the power to help create housing systems that support young people not just through crisis, but into lasting stability.

Supporting young people to build brighter futures

Supporting young people to build brighter futures

For more than 30 years, the Amber Foundation has worked alongside young people facing homelessness, unemployment and complex life challenges. Amber provides supported accommodation for young people, typically for between six and twelve months. What makes its approach unique is that accommodation is only one part of the journey.

Every young person who stays with Amber takes part in an intensive, holistic support programme designed to mirror the structure of a working week. Alongside having a safe place to live, they receive tailored support to build confidence, develop life skills, improve wellbeing and prepare for employment and independent living. This gives young people the space and stability they need to find their feet, discover their strengths and start planning for the future.

Many of the young people Amber supports arrive having experienced significant adversity. Some have left care, others are dealing with mental health challenges, family breakdown, rough sleeping, insecure housing or long-term unemployment. Often, they have reached young adulthood only to find that the support systems they relied on have disappeared.

When arriving at Amber

  • 74 %

    of young people struggle with their mental health

  • 40 %

    experienced alcohol or substance misuse challenges

  • 35 %

    have an offending background

  • 31 %

    have previously been involved in children's social services

What LandAid funding makes possible

LandAid is proud to support Amber’s work through grant funding that helps young people move from crisis towards independence.

In 2024, funding of £27,218 from the StreetSmart campaign helped create four new bed spaces within a move-on apartment. The project involved 15 learners completing City & Guilds accreditations while helping to create a bright, practical and welcoming home for young people preparing for independent living.

In 2025, a £10,000 StreetSmart grant contributed towards a Team Leader role at Amber’s Bythesea Lodge in Wiltshire. Team Leaders work directly with young people to develop individual support plans focused on employability, health and wellbeing, independent living and personal development.

LandAid also provided £20,000 in funding, supported by Places for People, towards a Move-On Team Leader in Ashford. This role helps young people prepare for life after Amber, supporting them to secure and sustain suitable accommodation and build the confidence needed to live independently.

For the young people Amber supports, this funding translates into life-changing opportunities.

I'm a different person now and don't act on impulse anymore. I genuinely feel optimistic about my future. Amber has been a great pit stop in my life and allowed me to recharge and get things under control again. I wouldn't be where I am today without the Amber Team Leaders supporting me.
Young person at Amber
I was rock bottom. It's crazy how far you can come in a short period with the space, the time and the support from everyone here. I just want to say a huge thank you to the Team Leaders and the other residents. They've all been there for me, allowed me to be myself and rediscover who I am.
A young person at Amber
Why does this matter to the property sector

Why does this matter to the property sector

By providing housing alongside wellbeing support, life skills training, employability programmes and move-on planning, LandAid can allow organisations like Amber to help young people build the foundations for long-term independence.

This is why the property sector has such an important role to play.

Developers, landlords, investors and built environment businesses shape the places and communities where young people live. Through funding, partnerships, social value programmes and housing expertise, the sector can help create pathways out of homelessness and into stability. There is also a growing opportunity to look beyond emergency accommodation alone.

Many young people leaving supported housing face significant barriers when trying to access suitable move-on accommodation, particularly in high-cost areas and within the private rented sector. Without affordable and appropriate housing options, the progress they have worked so hard to achieve can quickly be put at risk.

 

The property industry can help by:

  • Supporting pathways into stable, long-term housing.
  • Creating social value initiatives focused on lasting outcomes.
  • Opening up employability and skills opportunities for young people rebuilding their lives.
  • Designing communities where vulnerable young people can thrive, not simply stay.

At LandAid, our role is to bring together the expertise of frontline charities and the influence, resources and reach of the property industry.

Because when safe housing is paired with the right support, young people gain more than a roof over their heads. They gain confidence, independence and the opportunity to build a brighter future.

When the property industry comes together through LandAid, we can help make that future possible for many more young people.

This year, support Amber by attending The Property Race Day

Secure your tickets