The Berkeley Foundation is launching new partnerships with five youth homelessness charities, through our Resilience Fund. Each organisation has been given a grant of £60,000 over two years, to aid the organisations’ long-term financial sustainability and help build organisational resilience.
Last year, just under 136,000 young people aged 16 - 25 approached their council as homeless, with many young people experiencing homelessness remaining hidden. Our new partners are directly addressing the root causes of homelessness, provide vital services to young homeless people who face additional challenges and discrimination and offer opportunities for young people to progress into work, education or training.
Three of the organisations, Youth Concern, CARAS and Esteem take a strongly localised approach to delivering support, building on local networks to ensure as many at-risk individuals are supported as possible and to signpost follow-on services as needed. The Foyer Federation and Settle have a broader reach providing online and in-person assistance to at-risk individuals across London and beyond.
The Foundation’s Resilience Fund was launched in October 2021, and provides support for small to medium sized charities to build their resilience for the future. Small charities are experiencing real challenges as a result of the cost of living crisis, including high demand for services and difficulties recruiting volunteers. 35% reported that their finances have deteriorated.
We are investing £900,000 in the programme, supporting 25 organisations to prioritise strategy and business development, sustainable fundraising, people, culture and wellbeing and operations that are fit for purpose. The grants are complemented by a learning programme to encourage peer support, and wherever possible, volunteer support from Berkeley Group staff.
CARAS– Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Young people seeking asylum are especially vulnerable to homelessness. CARAS supports young people to succeed in all areas of their lives, focusing on building connections and community, boosting their ability to thrive in education, and offering advice and guidance to help them understand their rights and address, immigration, housing and leaving care.
82% of young people supported by CARAS last year reported moving into education, training or work.
The grant will help CARAS recruit a full-time Fundraising Officer who will focus on maximising donations from supporters. The new role will also free up time for the senior leadership team to focus on strategy development.
Esteem
Esteem provides a warm, safe space for vulnerable young adults in West Sussex, offering housing and benefit advice, food and clothes, 1:1 support and social activities.
Over the last two years, 32 out of 43 early help centres in Sussex have closed down. Esteem is the only open-access youth service left in West Sussex, and has seen a 140% increase in young adults accessing its support over the last five years.
Our grant will help Esteem to upskill staff and engage young people at all levels of the organisation, so they are better placed to support young people’s diverse needs. They’ll also create a sustainable business model for future income, enabling them to grow their staff team and support more young people in years to come.
Foyer Federation
Around 3,500 young people experiencing homelessness are supported by the Foyer Federation network annually, all across the UK and Ireland. There are many reasons young people may not be able to live at home, such as family breakdown or experience with the care system. The Foyer Federation and its Foyer network makes sure these young people have a safe, nurturing place to live alongside coaching to fulfil their ambitions and thrive.
Our grant will help Foyer Federation recruit a new Business Development Coordinator who will grow income so the charity can reach even more young people. The funding will also ensure that young people can be more involved in the charity’s programmes and strategy.
Settle
At least one third of care experienced young people are reported to experience homelessness within the first two years of leaving care – an important demographic supported by Settle’s award-winning tenancy sustainment programme.
97% of programme graduates in 2022/23 had sustained their tenancies 12 months after completing the programme.
Our grant will help Settle recruit a new Partnerships Manager, who will enable Settle to build and expand their relationships with local partners to reach even more young people. The role will also free up the senior leadership team’s time to focus on strategy development.
Youth Concern
Youth homelessness in Aylesbury Vale is 22% higher than the national average. With many local services closing down in recent years, Youth Concern continues to see a dramatic increase in demand. In the four-month period between October – February, the charity saw a 30% increase in young people attending its Drop-in Centre, compared to the same period the year prior.
Youth Concern offers a safe space for local young people facing additional challenges in Aylesbury Vale. They run two homelessness prevention projects, a Drop-in Centre and a counselling service.
The grant will cover the salary costs of the charity’s first in-house fundraiser over the next two years. It will also support the charity to improve its data management systems, helping staff to work more efficiently and improving young people’s experience.