Depaul UK, the UK's largest youth homelessness charity, is recruiting members of the public in London who are willing to offer a room to a young person who would otherwise be homeless.
The Supported Lodgings campaign, which Depaul UK is launching, is in response to the recent rise in youth homelessness, which has risen for the first time in a decade and in response to many people who are asking what they can do to help.
According to Government statistics, homelessness rose by 10% nationally last year, and in London by 8%. More than a third of homeless people in the UK are aged between 16 and 24. This rise in homelessness is putting increased strain on homelessness charities at the same time as there are fewer properties available for young people to rent. Based on successful Nightstop and Supported Lodgings schemes elsewhere, this is the first time anyone has attempted to run such a scheme across a whole region.
Depaul UK successfully runs Nightstop projects across the UK. Nightstop is an invaluable emergency response service that houses young people who have nowhere to sleep. Volunteer hosts offer a room for a few nights whilst professionals work hard to find a longer-term solution to that young person's housing need.
Supported Lodgings also relies on the generosity of local people offering a spare room within their house but for longer-term accommodation. This radical and effective response to the lack of affordable safe housing in London sees local people offering help to young people who are not yet confident to live completely independently.
Rebecca Bickley, Manager of the London Nightstop and Supported Lodgings project, said, "We are grateful to the London Housing Foundation for supporting this pilot. If we are successful, this model could be replicated across the country, so that no young person has to sleep rough. We are appealing to anyone who can help us in any way to visit the website and get in touch for more information. As well as people who may be able to offer accommodation, we are also looking for people who could put up a poster for us, or invite us to talk to their group or workplace. We need as much help as we can to tell people about this project and the life-changing rewards you can gain by being involved."
For further information please visit www.depauluk.org/projects/supported-lodgings-london/ and www.depauluk.org/projects/nightstop-London/ or call 020 7939 1226 or 020 7939 1237.
Article from www.24dash.com
