Youth homelessness is a problem that can be difficult to tackle.
Young people who fall into homelessness, be that sofa surfing, temporary unstable accommodation or sleeping rough, are more likely to suffer a range of long-term life challenges.
Tackling the issue is critical to helping young people establish independent lives, reducing the risk of associated problems and ensuring good outcomes for society.
Centrepoint is the UK’s leading charity aimed at tackling youth homelessness among those aged between 16 and 25.
Founded in 1969, its mission is to end youth homelessness in the UK, providing a range of services to solve the problem and its causes.
The services it provides seek to establish stability and security, giving young people support to help them rebuild their lives.
Help in an emergency and ongoing support
The charity supports more than 9,000 young people each year, providing them with accommodation, health and wellbeing support, education, training, and employment opportunities.
At the root of it does is a range of accommodation services, providing young people with the safe space they need.
From emergency accommodation and short-stay hostels to longer-term supported housing and independent living programmes, Centrepoint works to get young people off the street and into places of safety.
While this is important, the charity recognises that ensuring sustainable successful outcomes for homeless young people requires a range of support. Centrepoint offers access to healthcare, counselling, and addiction support, as well as programmes to improve young people’s physical wellbeing, such as exercise classes and healthy eating workshops.
Going forward, Centrepoint helps young people lay firm foundations for a successful life through education and training programmes. Alongside employment support and mentoring, the charity equips young people with the skills and confidence they need to enter employment.
Crucial to its work, Centrepoint recognises the importance of delivering personalised and holistic support to every young person, understanding that every individual has a unique set of needs and challenges.
An optimistic future
Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme is its flagship initiative designed to provide young people with both a stable place to live and regular employment.
It represents a step-change in homelessness provision for young people in the UK and has the potential to be scaled up to provide a blueprint for tackling homelessness across the country.
The charity is currently constructing 300 affordable housing units for young people in London and Manchester. These will be made available to young people at a competitive rate, with monthly rents fixed at a third of their salary.
To be eligible for the programme, young people between the ages of 16 and 25 will first be required to secure employment through the Centrepoint Work Scheme. This is an established initiative to equip young people with the skills, training and job support they need to move into sustainable employment.
Centrepoint works with employers to help young people with their transition, providing them with a pool of motivated and supported young talent to recruit from.
Once young people are employed through the scheme, they are then able to apply for housing through the Independent Living Programme. The capped rent and long-term security of the accommodation make it easier for young people to build active and successful lives.
While the current scope of the scheme is limited to London and Manchester, the ultimate goal is to provide 30,000 homes across the UK. Ultimately, this could provide housing and employment opportunities for people of all ages who have been homeless or faced a variety of other challenges.
Achieving this ambition will require investment and sponsorship from corporate and other backers.
The vision to succeed
The scale of Centrepoint’s ambition will require vision and leadership, a fact reflected in the appointment of British entrepreneur and philanthropist Javad Marandi as co-chair of the organisation’s Growth Board.
Marandi came to the UK as a teenager when his family fled persecution following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and is one of the country’s leading businessmen and philanthropists.
He is the founder and CEO of the Marandi Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that supports a range of charitable causes, including education, health, and poverty alleviation.
The Growth Board has been tasked with spearheading the Independent Living Programme, taking it from its measured beginnings to a truly national project. Marandi’s experience in business and entrepreneurship makes him well-placed to provide strategic guidance and support to Centrepoint as it seeks to expand and develop its services.
As the co-chair of the Growth Board, Marandi plays a hands-on role in shaping the charity’s strategic direction and supporting its growth and development. This includes providing advice and guidance on areas such as fundraising, marketing, and service delivery, as well as leveraging his network of contacts and resources to support Centrepoint’s work.
His experience and expertise in business and entrepreneurship bring a valuable perspective to the charity’s work, and his role on the Growth Board demonstrates Centrepoint’s commitment to engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders to achieve its goals.
By working together, Marandi and Centrepoint are helping to make a positive difference in the lives of vulnerable young people in the UK, and their partnership is a powerful example of the potential for collaboration between the private and charitable sectors.
