A Safe Place to Call Home
We have a long history of supporting leading homelessness organisations to drive change. We champion preventative approaches, fund support for individuals in crisis, and help our partners explore how homelessness systems and services can work better for the people they are designed to support.
Since 2021:
We’ve invested £3.9m in partnerships reaching almost 5,000 people. [1]
At least 575 people have moved out of homelessness into safe, secure accommodation. [2]
Our partnership with Crisis is trailblazing a new Built for Zero approach to ending homelessness in Brent. [3]
Our partnership with Money Ready was recognised at the 2025 Better Society Awards [4]
Case Studies
Money Ready: Supporting Young People to Build Financial Skills
Riley attended Money Ready’s The Money House programme. He explains how it’s helped him to better manage his money.
“Before the YMCA I was living in a half-insulated shed. At the time it was winter and -6 degrees. Luckily the YMCA had a place open; I applied, and they very kindly let me in
This Money Ready course has helped me so much with my money. I’ve got so many new ideas on how to budget my money, ideas on different savings accounts and bank accounts, and it’s just helped me in general with all my money.
Budgeting is the most important skill I’ll use straight away. I’ve realised that I’ve not been spending my money in the most appropriate ways so budgeting will really help me in the future.
I haven’t had any financial education before this course. I think it’s very important and should be introduced into the curriculum in secondary school. I left school and went straight into work, so I was earning money from the age of 16 and I never spent it correctly. Now I’m ready to learn more about money.
Before the course I would rate my money skills about a 5 out of 10. I thought I was doing well and paying the essentials when needed, but now I’d rate it a solid 8 or 9 out of 10 because there’s always something else to learn. I can’t wait to take the next step and learn more.”
Riley, age 18
New Horizon Youth Centre: Helping Young People Secure Housing and Sustain Independence
Arash came to the UK as an asylum seeker from Iran. Once he received his refugee status, he was only given one week before he had to leave the Home Office accommodation he had been staying in. He called his local council, but did not get a call back.
Arash knew he had to take matters into his own hands and found New Horizon’s Youth Hub - the only youth-specific emergency accommodation in London, run in partnership with DePaul UK, NHYC and the London Youth Gateway.
At the moment, Arash is working full-time as a barista, but his dream is to study Natural Sciences majoring in Physics at Cambridge University. He passed his interview and has an offer to study there from this autumn, providing he passes his re-sits.
Staff at New Horizon helped Arash with preparations for his interview, get mitigating circumstances from Cambridge to allow for him to take re-sits (which they don’t usually do), and gave him a grant to pay for his exams.
Arash is hoping to move to Cambridge in the autumn and make a new start as a student with a very bright future ahead of him.
He says: “My life has changed [since coming to New Horizon]… I never thought I could get into Cambridge. All the progress that I made, I don’t think I would have been able to make it honestly.
New Horizon is making a difference. If I were in a situation in the future that I could donate or something I would definitely…to pay it forward.”
Our Partners
Crisis
Crisis is the national charity for people experiencing homelessness. Our partnership supports the Crisis Skylight in Brent to innovate, learn and strengthen Crisis’ place-based work and deepen collaboration with the local authority and voluntary sector.
Money Ready
Money Ready is a financial education charity dedicated to creating a financially fluent population. We fund sessions for young people leaving care, helping them develop financial skills that support a more secure future.
New Horizon Youth Centre
New Horizon Youth Centre supports young people who are homeless or unsafe in London. Berkeley colleagues have supported the partnership through fundraising and volunteering, and by providing new homes packs to young people moving into their own accommodation.
CARAS
CARAS is a leading refugee charity in South West London. It provides firm foundations for new-arrival asylum seekers to build happy and successful lives. Our Resilience Fund grant invests in organisational development, building resilience for the future.
Esteem
Esteem works with young adults to build lasting self-esteem and stronger communities, through group activities and 1-1 support. Our Resilience Fund grant invests in organisational development, building resilience for the future.
Foyer Federation
Foyer Federation supports a UK-wide network of over 50 youth supported housing services to develop so that young people who can't live at home can move on to thrive in adulthood. Our Resilience Fund grant invests in organisational development, building resilience for the future.
Settle
Settle is an award-winning charity that supports care-experienced young people as they move into their first home so they can confidently transition into independent living and thrive. Our Resilience Fund grant invests in organisational development, building resilience for the future.
Youth Concern
Youth Concern creates spaces where 13–25-year-olds in Aylesbury Vale can feel safe, be real, and be themselves. It provides somewhere to hang out, someone to talk to, and support with housing, mental health. Our Resilience Fund grant invests in organisational development, building resilience for the future.
St Basils
St Basils works with young people aged 16-25 in the West Midlands to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills. This partnership is driven by colleagues from the local Berkeley office, building connections through a range of staff engagements.