Funding boost for St Basils’ youth homelessness programme

The government has announced that youth homelessness charity St Basils will benefit from £90,000 of funding to enable it to continue its vital work supporting young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The funding will enable the charity to continue its Youth Voice Programme where selected young homeless people from across the country feed their experience into government and other public sector organisations, ensuring their voices are heard.

St Basils will also undertake a detailed review into the experiences, needs and issues facing young people in the West Midlands who were housed as part of the government’s ‘Everyone In’ scheme during the COVID-19 response.

The insights, recommendations and learnings from St Basils’ study will be shared, to build on the government’s ongoing evidence base on what works to prevent future homelessness amongst young people.

The government is funding St Basils’ work to support young homeless people as part of its landmark commitment – backed by over half a billion pounds to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over 2020/21 – to break the cycle of homelessness and end rough sleeping for good.

Measures also include the Next Steps Accommodation Programme, which funds local authorities and their partners to prevent people from returning to the streets, and the fast-tracking 6,000 additional homes for former rough sleepers across the country.

‘We have taken unprecedented action to support the most vulnerable people in our society during the pandemic. I’m delighted we’re able to continue to support St Basils this year with £90,000 to continue their well-established and successful Youth Voice Programme,’ said housing minister, Luke Hall.

‘This will enable them to continue their hugely valuable work to ensure the voices of young homeless people are heard by the government and wider public sector.

‘Nationally, we have put in place bespoke support for councils through our Homelessness Advice and Support Team, which includes dedicated youth homelessness advisers. The Youth Advisers are working closely with councils on the particular challenges that young people and care leavers are facing during COVID-19.’

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