Depaul UK

As winter sets in, thousands of young people in the UK have no safe place to live or regular bed to sleep in, many will settle for a freezing bench or a damp doorway. Our emergency accommodation service Nightstop is an immediate solution for young people, 16 to 25, who have nowhere else to go. They can be off the streets and in a warm comfortable space in a matter of hours. Find out more about how Nightstop works and hear from the young people whose lives have been transformed. 👇

Our Nightstop service operates in 23 locations across the UK. If you know a young person at risk of homelessness, Nightstop can arrange a safe and comfortable place to stay within a few hours. By quickly getting a young person in crisis to the home of a trained and vetted volunteer host, we can prevent a night on the streets and give the support needed to avoid homelessness for good. Find your nearest Nightstop service: https://lnkd.in/eJZ4bvCx

Brilliant to see the Prince of Wales’ two-part documentary "We Can End Homelessness," this week on ITV and iTVX, shining a spotlight on the incredible work being done by the homelessness sector through Homewards. Our services and staff in Lambeth are working with Homewards to show how it’s possible to end homelessness. We were thrilled last year when he came to meet some of the young people we work with.  Tune in to watch the documentary on ITV and Disney Plus.

This week is National Care Leavers Week. #NCLW2024 Read our blog to find out why turning 18 years old is such a daunting time for care-experienced children. And find out how our services are trying to bridge the gap after care by providing supported accommodation, life skills training, and mental health support to help care leavers build a brighter future. https://lnkd.in/gap_VEms

New statistics out today show rough sleeping in London hits new record high - increasing by 41% compared to the same period last year. Depaul UK CEO, Alexia Murphy, comments in the Big Issue. Full statement below. “It is truly shocking to see such a huge increase in the number of young people sleeping rough. Behind every statistic is a young person facing the dangers, cold and loneliness of rough sleeping. Our recent findings in the Young People’s Rough Sleeping Census Pilot revealed that the severity of the issue is likely to be underestimated. "This increase is likely to be down to increasing rents and ongoing shortages of affordable housing, which hit young people particularly hard, as well as people having to leave asylum accommodation with nowhere to go. We urgently need to see more funding for prevention and emergency accommodation services, like Depaul UK’s London Youth Hub, which helps young people to secure long-term housing." https://lnkd.in/eREPCxvh

The chancellor of the exchequer announces £230 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. Alexia Murphy, CEO at Depaul UK, welcomed the news but says more can be done: Alexia Murphy, CEO at Depaul UK said: “The commitments to real terms increases next year to homelessness and rough sleeping funding are encouraging, as are announcements around local authority funding and social housing. Reductions to the amount of Universal Credit taken to pay off debts will also help many young people who use Depaul’s homelessness services” “Much more, however, needs to be done to try tackle the homelessness crisis. The 2025 Spring Spending review should include multi-year funding commitments to fill the local authority funding black hole, as well as to deliver safe, affordable homes for people who are sleeping rough. These longer-term measures and many more will be needed to meet the government’s strategic commitment get back on track to ending homelessness." #Budget2024

Demand for our Nightstop service has surged by more than 55% across the network, compared to the same time last year. That’s why today we’re launching an urgent appeal. This winter, thousands of young people in the UK will have no safe place to live or regular bed to sleep in. Every day, more than 350 young people become homeless. Nightstop provides a warm welcome and a safe place to sleep for young people in crisis. Trained and vetted volunteer hosts make sure they also get a hot meal, access to washing facilities, and the listening ear of someone who cares. In this blog, our CEO Alexia Murphy explains why we urgently need your support to keep Nightstop running and keep more young people safe and off the streets this winter: https://bit.ly/40GQacz

A huge thank you to our friends Overbury, who have used their design skills to transform unused office space at one of our London services into a chill-out zone for the young people who live there. This calmingly decorated room will offer our young people a safe and comfortable place to meet with staff, unwind, reflect, exercise, or focus on their wellbeing. The Overbury team really got stuck in and their hard work is all part of the company’s commitment to making a social and environmental difference in the lives of the communities they work in.  A special thank you to Julie, Neil, Bogdan, and Molly at Overbury as well as their fantastic supply chain partners, for generously volunteering their time to bring this project to life. We hope your hard work will have a lasting impact! Thank you to everyone involved. BRADGATE LIMITED Elite Electrical Contracting Loughton Contracts Plc Pace Interiors LTD Vivid Finishes iLE Solutions LTD  DK (Specialist) Cleaning Service Ltd FINELINE SEALANTS LIMITED 

We loved welcoming our amazing volunteers from Alfa Financial Software into one of our London services recently. The Alfa team worked tirelessly, transforming the hallways, stairways, kitchen, and communal areas with a fresh coat of paint. Their efforts have made a noticeable difference, creating a brighter, cleaner, and more welcoming environment for the young people we support. One of Alfa’s company values is to create a positive, sustainable impact on society through charitable giving and volunteering. So, a special thank you to Mabel and the entire Alfa team for your hard work and ongoing commitment to ending homelessness and changing the lives of those affected by it.

A huge congratulations to all 10 of our amazing runners who ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon this weekend. We loved cheering you on and are thrilled to announce that your hard work has already raised over £3,000. Your incredible fundraising efforts will make a real difference in supporting young people at risk of homelessness. Thank you for all your support! 👏