YMCA England & Wales' Move On Campaign
We're backing YMCA England & Wales'call to the Government to ensure that there is more support in place to allow young people to move on to their independent lives when they are ready.
You can help - sign the petition.
Supported housing is designed to be a temporary aid for young people to settle while they receive a helping hand to get their lives on track.
Whether it is over the course of a few months or a year or two, supported housing helps those in need of structure and stability. YMCAs provide young people with training, education and develop emotional and life skills so when they are ready to move on they can.
Moving on is imperative in order for young people to grow and develop. It builds their independence and ensures that young people make a smoother and long-lasting transition into communities.
However…
The model of supported housing is dependent on young people moving on once they are ready to go. Young people often stay for months and even years after they feel prepared to move on, and all because there is no suitable accommodation available for them to move into.
Were this not the case, supported housing providers could open their doors to the young people in need of their services at the start of this journey. The system is bottlenecked with those vulnerable and in need of support unable to access this.
Nyima, a former supported housing resident
“Living in supported housing is hard. You’re thankful to have a roof over your head, and you know other people have come in from living on the street, but you really just want your own freedom and space.
It was just so hard, feeling like you were being kicked back. Even when you were doing everything right, it wasn’t enough. It was as though you weren’t supposed to succeed.”
Lisa, Housing Worker
“Our mission is to help young people to develop the skills to live independent lives.
Even with that help, however, it just isn’t enough. We want to see people moving on within two years, but we’ve had some people with us for over five years now.
They couldn’t find the right place to move to, and the pandemic has made things worse.”
YMCA England & Wales' recommendations to Government
