New grants have been launched to support grassroots organisations as they help young people that are at risk of homelessness.
Children’s charity Coram is providing grants worth £25,000 to organisations that will support those who are homeless or at risk of falling into homelessness to build their capacity and embed youth participation. Alongside developing their own projects, the funding will also allow organisations to join a collaborative programme that is run by Coram.
The focus of the funding is to reach the young people who are the most disadvantaged and at the highest risk of homelessness, including those with experience of the care system, young migrants and refugees, as well as those from global majority communities and LGBTQI+ communities.
There are two main focuses of the funding, with these being to help organisations build their capacity and improve levels of participation with young people that are affected by housing issues, whilst also allowing young people to realise their potential. This will, in turn, enable those young people to make their voices heard within their local communities.
In order to qualify for the grant, organisations must already be providing support to young people in London, however, this doesn’t need to be the main focus of the organisation – provided a track record of working with the relevant target groups is demonstrated. Organisations also must be grassroots and not-for-profit, with an annual turnover of between £100,000 and £1 million. Organisations aiming to secure funding for work taking place outside Greater London and services that look to actively promote a particular religion will not be eligible for the investment.
According to figures released by London Councils earlier this year, around 85,000 children are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation in the capital, which is the equivalent of at least one homeless child in every classroom in London.
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