Berkeley Foundation invests £300,000 in five expert youth homelessness charities

Berkeley Foundation invests £300,000 in five expert youth homelessness charities

THE Berkeley Foundation, the grant-making foundation set up by homebuilder the Berkeley Group, has partnered with five youth homelessness charities working across the UK. Each organisation has been given a grant of £60,000 over two years, to aid the organisation’s long-term financial sustainability and help build organisational resilience.

The five charities selected for a grant in 2024/25 are Settle, Esteem, The Foyer Federation, Youth Concern and CARAS. All of these organisations work to support young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Last year, just under 136,000 people aged 16 to 25 approached their council as homeless, with many young people experiencing homelessness remaining hidden. The Berkeley Foundation’s new partners are directly addressing the root causes of homelessness. They each provide vital services to young homeless people who face additional challenges and discrimination, offering opportunities to progress into work, education or training.

Three of the organisations, Youth Concern, CARAS and Esteem take a strongly localised approach to delivering support, building on local networks to ensure as many at-risk individuals are supported as possible and to signpost follow-on services as needed. The Foyer Federation and Settle have a broader reach, providing online and in-person assistance to at-risk individuals across London and beyond.

These charities are five of up to twenty-five organisations that the Berkeley Foundation will be supporting between 2021 and 2024. The Foundation’s Resilience Fund was launched specifically to provide support for small and medium-sized charities to build their resilience. The £900,000 of grants made over this period will be complemented by a learning programme to encourage peer support, and wherever possible, volunteer support from Berkeley Group staff.

Jamie Charnock, Head of Development and Impact at CARAS – Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, commented:

“We’re delighted to partner with the Berkeley Foundation through their Resilience Fund. The intersection of policy changes and the cost-of-living crisis has created unparalleled challenges for the young people we work with, and support from the Resilience Fund will provide us with the unique opportunity to focus on diversifying our income streams and re-strategising at this pivotal moment. As a result, we’ll be able to run a more agile and adaptable service capable of delivering transformative outcomes for young people across south London.”

Sally Dickinson, Head of the Berkeley Foundation said:

“Our Resilience Fund provides vital funding for smaller organisations’ own resilience, helping to make them stronger and improve their ability to deal with future challenges. This is the third year, and the need is just as urgent as when we launched the Fund.

“Our five new partners are all delivering important work in their communities, working with young people who are facing or experiencing homelessness. Our funding will contribute to their survival in the difficult current climate and ensure they are around to continue improving life for young people in years to come.

“We have seen great results from the first two cohorts of Resilience Fund partners. It is exciting to see how our new partners will flourish over the next two years.”

Further information on the scope of the five organisations funded in the third year of the Resilience Fund is below:

Settle, is an East London-based organisation supporting young people as they transition to independent living. The charity seeks primarily to support care-experienced young people through its award-winning tenancy sustainment programme.

Esteem, offering an open-access hub and a safe space for vulnerable young adults in West Sussex. The charity offers immediate support through free counselling, housing and benefits advice, food and clothing, and longer-term interventions including mentoring, group activities and volunteering opportunities.

The Foyer Federation is a supported housing network across England, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland for young people aged 16–25, who are unable to live at home. The Foyer Federation and its Foyer network makes sure these young people have a safe, nurturing place to live alongside coaching to fulfil their ambitions and thrive.

Youth Concern is a safe space for local young people facing additional challenges in Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire. They run two homelessness prevention projects, a Drop-in Centre and a counselling service. Young people who are at risk of homelessness or are financially vulnerable are among those supported by the charity.

CARAS – Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, providing a holistic support service for new-arrival asylum seekers and refugees in South West London. The charity supports young people to succeed in all areas of their lives, focusing on building connections and community, boosting their ability to thrive in education, and offering advice and guidance to help them understand their rights and address, immigration, housing and leaving care.

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