Depaul UK

We are delighted to share that the newly established Julia Rausing Trust has generously pledged a £300,000 grant over three years to Nightstop London and our Housing Advice service. The Julia Rausing Trust, established in memory of the late British philanthropist Julia Rausing who passed away in 2024, has announced that they will be donating £100 million to charities and organisations in its first year, making it one of the largest charitable funds in the UK. We are honored to have been chosen for a grant in this very first year of funding. Nightstop London and Housing Advice work together as crucial services in our prevention initiatives, offering emergency accommodation and tailored support and guidance for marginalised young people in the capital who are at immediate risk of homelessness. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to The Julia Rausing Trust for their incredible contribution to these potentially life-changing services.

"Sometimes it's quite overwhelming, the numbers that come in, but that tells me that we are doing something right because people want to come here for help." Martin Picken manages the team at our Middlesbrough drop-in centre for those experiencing homelessness in the town. Middlesbrough is the fifth most deprived area in the UK with forty percent of children live in poverty. Recent statistics show that homelessness has risen by 200 percent in the last year. However, the true increase could be as high as 400 percent. Many who attend are considered to be high-risk, but inspired by Vincentian values, the Depaul UK team works non-judgmentally with clients by providing a calm, relaxed, and open atmosphere. They can then build the trust necessary to begin helping individuals on their way out of homelessness. Read our latest blog about our work with rough sleepers in Middlesbrough: https://lnkd.in/eqpV8eZZ

Our fantastic Nightstop hosts Jennie and Mark were featured last week on the Brazilian TV Channel, Globo TV, Latin America's largest broadcaster. A new series, which aired on the flagship news program Jornal Nacional, explores the challenges governments have when it comes to tackling homelessness. We were thrilled our community-hosted Nightstop service was showcased as part of London's innovative solutions to tackling the growing crisis. https://glo.bo/3y3tDKV

It was fantastic to see young people from our services take part in The Refugee World Cup last month. The five-a-side tournament held in Manchester saw refugees from Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Vietnam, and Afghanistan competing to win the Cup. The tournament is an initiative run by the Manchester FA that aims to bridge gaps and bring communities together through football. Rebecca Tooth, Progression Coach, from Depaul UK said: "It’s great for the young people. They're extremely passionate about football. It’s a chance for them to expand their social networks. And it's just great for raising awareness.” “We won two games, it was great, and the third one we drew, we did great,” said team captain Joseph. “It was good to come together as friends. We were together in college. So we know each other, that's why we came together because we know each other, we are friendly. We laugh together.” Each group had six teams, with the top two progressing to the quarter finals. Every team played a minimum of five games. Our team won two games, drew one, and lost two, finishing third in their group. 👏

“We need the new government to commit to ending homelessness. It’s completely unacceptable that in 21st-century Britain people are sleeping on the street," said Depaul UK’s Director of Development and External Affairs, Dan Dumoulin. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the UK is increasing. It’s estimated that almost 4,000 people slept rough in a single night in England last autumn – more than double the number in 2010. In 2022-23, 136,000 16-25-year-olds reported themselves as homeless, but we know the true number could be double that, with many young people sofa surfing or living in temporary accommodation. The new government must prioritise affordable housing, fairer finances for young people and greater investment in work to prevent homelessness. Read the full interview with Dan Dan Dumoulin: https://lnkd.in/e2Q-_XWD

Congratulations to Kier Starmer! As record numbers of people are without a home, Depaul UK looks forward to working with the new Government on a strategy to end homelessness. Young people must not be forgotten, we need a #PlanForThe136k

Homelessness in the UK is continuing to rise. A huge amount of resources goes into tackling homelessness at the point of crisis, and we know emergency responses cost much more than preventative ones. At Depaul UK, we take a holistic approach to support young people experiencing homelessness so we can address their unique needs, but to end homelessness for good we need systematic change. With a general election imminent, we are calling on the next government to commit to a strategy to end youth homelessness with an emphasis on prevention. Read more in our latest blog from Laura Munt, Director of Programme and Prevention at Depaul UK on why prevention is the key to tackling homelessness. https://lnkd.in/eHVwTrAa

Our friends at OSB Group recently raised more than £4,000 for Depaul UK and helped to spread the word about our emergency accommodation service, Nightstop, by collectively completing a month-long step challenge.   504 individuals recorded a staggering 137,767,940 steps (almost 68,884 miles). OSB staff were spurred into action after joining a presentation about our community-led service, where trained and vetted volunteer hosts provide a spare room for the night to a young person in crisis. Our Senior Homeless Prevention Coordinator, Molly Woolfson,  spoke about the urgent need for more Nightstops across the country. Abi Morgan, Financial Crime Officer at OSB, was the top stepper with her 810,915 steps (around 405 miles), while the ‘Liar, Liar, Legs on Fire’ team was the winning team with 3,545,837 steps (1,773 miles). Congratulations to everyone who took part! 👏

The 2023-2024 CHAIN statistics released today, show a staggering 19% increase in the number of people sleeping rough in London, compared to last year. Alexia Murphy, CEO, Depaul UK, said: “The number of people sleeping rough in the capital is the highest figure on record and something must be done. Homelessness services across London are stretched to the limit and more help is needed, the next Government must tackle this issue immediately in London, and across the whole country.”

OSB Group has been supporting Depaul UK in various ways throughout the past year of our corporate partnership. Recently, ten volunteers from the company spent the day painting and decorating to help to brighten up the lounge for young people living in one of our West London services. Theo Darius, Senior Model Developer at OSB Group, said: "The team thoroughly enjoyed volunteering. It's great to know we’re contributing to society and making a difference. We are looking forward to doing more volunteering together in the future." A big thank you to everyone who volunteered their time! 👏