{"id":6047,"date":"2023-04-03T12:03:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T11:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/?post_type=blog&p=6047"},"modified":"2023-08-18T11:28:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T10:28:09","slug":"ceo-mike-thiedke-urgent-cost-of-living-appeal","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/blog\/ceo-mike-thiedke-urgent-cost-of-living-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"CEO Mike Thiedke: Urgent Cost-of-living appeal\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At Depaul UK, we’ve never seen things so bad. <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Staff tell me that young people are saying they haven\u2019t eaten for days. Some\u00a0are sitting in their rooms in the dark, unable to afford the electricity to shower, others are living without basics like toiletries or enough clothing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These vulnerable young people, who have experienced homelessness and who have already come so far to secure their futures, are now struggling to keep their lives on track.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is why, today, I am making an urgent appeal to you for donations to stop young people from falling back into homelessness because of the rising cost-of-living.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The young people in our services are used to living on very little money but however much they try to stretch their budget and however much we at Depaul help them to get better at managing their finances, rising costs mean that it\u2019s simply not enough. Many are now only a stone’s throw away from becoming homeless again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data published by the Citizen\u2019s Advice Bureau<\/a>\u00a0tells an alarming story about how the cost<\/span> of<\/span> living is affecting young people. Almost 10 times as many people aged under 25 are accessing help from charities compared to three years ago. Five times as many are being referred to food banks and 12 times as many require help with energy costs. \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At Depul UK we surveyed people aged between 18 and 34 years old in three areas we work – Newcastle, Greater Manchester and London. The survey revelaed over half of people are worried about eviction due to the cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n

One <\/span>young woman, Zara, who is 18, living in supported accommodation after a traumatic childhood and at college, training to be a chef, told us, <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s embarrassing to say to people I don\u2019t have enough food.<\/span><\/i> If you don\u2019t have the money to eat, then you don\u2019t really have a chance.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If a young person can\u2019t make ends meet, they risk eviction and the devastating possibility of returning to homelessness. We cannot allow this to happen. Out there, they are exposed to <\/span>criminal exploitation – dangers of county lines and sexual abuse are very real, as is the threat of worsening mental health \u2013 and, above all, what\u2019s at stake is their\u00a0hope for a better future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Depaul UK\u2019s mission is to end homelessness. We are doing everything in our power to prevent each and every young person from falling back into homelessness. <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more than 30 years, Depaul UK has worked alongside courageous young people to build better futures for themselves. They have gone on to find fulfilling work \u2013 from care workers to teaching assistants to engineers to hairdressers \u2013 and to build fulfilling lives as parents and community volunteers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With rising poverty levels, the need for our services is now increasing dramatically and we need to respond to this urgently.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But we can\u2019t do this without help from supporters. <\/span><\/b>We urgently need donations to cover the hugely increased costs in\u00a0a young person’s daily life. Please take a look at this video recorded by some of our staff working directly with the most vulnerable in our society \u2013 their accounts are much more powerful than what I can convey here:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n