Youth homelessness - too many are hidden by homelessness!

09/06/08

The public had the chance to ‘see’ the face of youth homelessness in West London on 5 & 6 June.

A ‘glass box’ was furnished as a hostel resident’s room in Uxbridge High Street, during the Hillingdon Arts Festival. Volunteers ‘lived’ in the box to raise funds for the local rent deposit scheme.

Crisis estimates that there are 380,000 homeless people in the UK. And around a quarter of single homeless people sleeping rough or living in hostels or B&Bs are under the age of 25.

The stunt is being performed by homelessness agencies including Trinity Homeless Project, Solo, Navigator P3, and West London YMCA. It draws attention to the help that can be given to those who are homeless, but is rarely seen.

Gurpreet Shinji, a young person who experienced homelessness said:

“I had a very bad start to 2008; losing my job led to me being homeless and I could slowly see my life deteriorate. I was then accepted by a Christian housing association that gave me a home and supported me to rebuild my life. If it wasn’t for them I probably would have been involved in a life of crime and drug abuse”.

West London YMCA is calling for more awareness and seeking to raise money for a rent deposit scheme. With little money, hardly any affordable accommodation and pressures from home which can make it impossible to stay, it is not surprising that young people make up the largest proportion of the homeless. A little money can go a lot further with a rent deposit scheme, helping young people to move into secured tenancy.