A bed is not enough to help young people to deal with the issues which prevent them from escaping homelessness and moving on in their lives
Depaul UK specialises in supporting young people experiencing homelessness. Our mission is to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.
The causes of homelessness are varied and complex but include family relationship breakdown, leaving care, family bereavement, mental ill-health, and the effects of poverty such as unaffordable rent.
Young people experiencing homelessness, who often come from disadvantaged, chaotic backgrounds with traumatic experiences, face challenges such as sleeping rough, going to all-night parties, or being criminally or sexually exploited in exchange for money or a place to stay.
Many young people who come to us for help are exhausted by living in unsafe environments, and traumatised by abuse, loss or neglect. We offer young people a bed; a safe and secure place to rest and recuperate, away from the dangers they have fled.
But a bed is not enough to help young people to deal with the issues which prevent them from escaping homelessness and moving on in their lives. In order to provide that longer-term support, we rely on regular donations. That’s why we’re asking you to make a gift of £12 monthly in support of Depaul UK’s tailored work alongside young people to help them to leave it behind for good.
Monthly donations allow us to plan ahead so that we can ensure that our services can be available for the young people who need our help. Unfortunately a growing number of young people are experiencing homelessness and that’s why we have launched the campaign, so that we can ensure the sustainability of the long-term, tailored support which young people need if they are to leave homelessness behind for good.
Yes of course, we are very grateful for all donations and every penny helps. Make a single donation here.
If young people are to leave homelessness behind for good, they need to avoid falling back into homelessness and to find a path to a future in work.
Our dedicated and highly trained staff and volunteers work alongside young people with individual plans which help improve their mental health and wellbeing. We start by working with each individual to help them to regain their sense of self-belief and motivation so they can develop the life skills they need to live independently.
Many of the young people we support need our help to improve their mental and physical wellbeing and to overcome anxiety, depression and the lasting effects of trauma. This might be in the form of counselling or group wellbeing sessions or it might be having the funds to purchase sports equipment or a subscription to access mindfulness tools.
Regular guidance, advice and encouragement plays an important role in keeping young people on track with achieving their goals. That could be help with applying for college courses, gaining formal qualifications such as GCSEs or A levels. It could be help with overcoming language barriers or funding for essentials such as clothes for attending interviews or driving lessons, which will lead to stable work in the future.
Volunteer mentors can help young people to develop life-skills such as cooking or money management to help with independent living, whilst our staff can help with finding longer-term, stable housing enabling them to move into their own accommodation and live independent, fulfilled lives.
For anyone who does need help finding somewhere safe to sleep, please visit our ‘Get Help’ page.
Although a safe bed for the night is vitally important, on its own it’s not enough. A bed can’t get a young person back into education; help them manage their mental health; or give them the life skills they need to thrive. For that they need specialist long-term support, which is what we provide at Depaul UK.
Yes that’s right! We are opening a bed-store, ‘Beyond a Bed,’ in south London. It is open to the general public from 18th August 2021 for one week only in the Centrale Croydon shopping centre.
Each bed within the store represents a young person who has experienced homelessness and received support from Depaul UK. The store helps us to demonstrate just how complex the needs and circumstances can be for young people who find themselves with nowhere safe to sleep and how the support they need can be just as varied.
We would like to thank Publicis Poke who designed and produced the store for Depaul UK at no cost to the charity.
Depaul UK delivers life changing services at the local and national level, by partnering your business or local group with us you will be able to make a transformational impact on the lives of young people across the UK.
There are loads of ways to get involved and make a difference. You could choose us as your Charity of the Year, become a strategic partner, volunteer your time, or even take part in one of our exciting fundraising challenges. We want all of our partnerships to be engaging and mutually rewarding and believe that by working together we can make the greatest impact.
Contact our Regional Engagement Team to find out more at Tony.Packwood@Depaulcharity.org.uk