Thanks to our incredible supporters who helped us raise £27,423 + gift aid, more than £10k over our target! The Big Give is the UK’s largest match funding platform, where Christmas donations were doubled until the £9,000 matching pot was used. Thanks to our all important match funders; Pukka Pies, Appello and The Reed Foundation.
Thank you for donations and encouragement: Parallel Office and Document Solutions, Westerby, Rock Kitchen Harris, PA housing, Unity, Pilon, Synergize, Aaron Services and West Wallasey. Once again the pro bono graphic design work of Stocks Taylor Benson was superb!
Young people’s lives are on hold due to a lack of appropriate places to live, even when they are ready to move on from YMCA. Funds raised will help them set up a home they can be proud of. The housing climate in Leicester at the moment is difficult. The high demand for council housing, unaffordable private deposits, and discrimination mean that when our young people are ready to move on from YMCA, due to a lack of appropriate places to live, their lives are often left on hold. Not only does this act as a barrier to transition for residents ready to take the next step towards independence, it also means that our supported housing cannot help others in crisis.
Having experienced trauma and without a support network around them, it can be isolating for many of our residents to set up home which puts them at risk of returning to homelessness. A resettlement coach who can support them with challenges such as negotiating, budgeting, and lifestyle choices will help give our young people a fair chance at navigating this transition.
The New Home, New Hope project will also create a deposit bursary to enable access to private housing as well as help to source furniture and a gift pack of essentials for every young person who leaves our YMCA to set up their own home. By providing the financial support necessary to help our residents transition to independent living, we will be able to open our doors to more young people in urgent need of security and support.
The campaign has finished with an outstanding £15,370 raised. Thank you to everyone who will be helping young people to access equipment and have the right support to help develop their digital literacy, confidence and safety.
Young people living in our supported accommodation have been through family breakdowns, trauma and/or poor mental health. They now face being left behind by digital poverty: “the inability to interact with the online world fully, when, where and how an individual needs to” Digital Poverty Alliance.
Three critical factors are: financial poverty, access and lack of skills. We estimate 70% of our residents do not have a device suitable for studying, personal admin or accessing services they need.
“The pandemic has deepened the digital divide. While millions have learnt to do new things online, many are left further behind – lacking skills to keep up, while technology speeds up. Low income and low education stand out across all age groups for those who only use the internet in a limited way.” Good Things Foundation – Blueprint to fix the digital divide
It is essential that we address both access and digital competency to have an impact on our young people’s futures. We will provide inspiring environments with suitable IT equipment and software at our two main sites as a starting point for young people. Central to this is the role of a new education worker, who, as a digital champion, will nurture and support young people with any digital challenges they face and encourage and coach them to use digital to open up life skills and opportunities.
