Thousands of young people at risk of homelessness in West Midlands
How St Basil’s helping reduce those numbers?
Picture from St Basil’s website
‘Research suggests there are around 86,000 young people experiencing homelessness in the UK and around 8,500 in the West Midlands [source: Centrepoint].’
‘More than half (54 per cent) of homeless young people left their last settled base because their parents, other relatives, or friends no longer wanted to accommodate them.’
St Basil’s is an organisation that works with youth homelessness. They provide shelter and help young people rebuild their lives.
This organisation provides services for young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to enable them to get and keep a home, build their confidence, develop their skills and increase their opportunities.
Founded in 1972, at a time there was no support for young people experiencing homelessness. They opened this organisation to accommodate and support those in times of crisis.
There are almost 40 supported housing schemes in St Basils. Despite working in a number of locations, they have assisted accommodation schemes in Birmingham which have the capacity to house 1,500 young homeless people and families with young children.
Picture from St Basil’s website
Barrie Hodge, head of fundraising at St Bails says: “ I’m passionate about people having the same opportunities as others, regardless of their background. The charity aligns with my own values.”
St Basil’s have the ‘Night Stop’ scheme. Under this scheme, local Hosts provide emergency accommodation on a night by night basis to vulnerable young people at risk of homelessness. The Vision for Night stop is that no young person should sleep in an unsafe place, ever. As part of the DePaul model, their 'Night stop' schemes ensure that young people in Birmingham, Solihull, and Coventry have a safe place to stay at night.
Dan 20 years old, joined St Bail's because he had nowhere else to go because of a family breakup. He was taken in by St Bail's. As a result he gained a level 2 qualification in Food Safety Hygiene, as well as a Personal Licence to sell alcohol on licensed premises, increasing his employment prospects.
“St Basils really helped with my emotional wellbeing too. It was strange to leave the family environment I’d been in and come to St Basils.
“ There was a lot of pressure at the time to keep myself afloat. St Basils provided a space where I could think and support to work through it all.”
St Basils have a Young Person’s Outreach Navigation Service, where their workers assist young people in accessing appropriate support and housing. In essence, this is taking what they offer at St Basils directly to street youth. As well as referring young people to appropriate agencies, the team can accompany them to appointments and ensure access to benefits and other provisions.
Contact the following if you or someone you know needs help:
Phone: 0121 772 2483
Emailing: info@stbasils.org.uk
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