In August 2019, we set out on a mission to help the young people of our generation who have been without a roof on their heads. As a homeless charity we had previously witnessed individuals of all ages from all over the UK coming to us, desperate to get some help. The struggles they faced were devastating, their stories fled in with a timeline and things were simply not getting any better. There were life changing struggles compared to the small struggles we face such as missing the train for work.

We spotted that services were limited to helping young individuals, so we put together a project named Boost Up Young Homeless. This project aims to break the barriers young people face such as the benefit cap, on average housing benefit support for a young person under the age of 25 is £130 p/w, the average cost of a room is £170. What we do is once we get someone on the scheme, we pay for the deposit and shortfall in rent. We don't stop here, the second step is to get them engaged with our employment and well-being programmes to help them get into work, off benefits and discover their potential!

We have created this JustGiving page because as a small non-profit charity, we need your support to give more to young people. They are the future! Young people are often labelled as rebels without a cause but IS HOMELESSNESS REALLY A CHOICE? Give them the opportunity to kick start their life. Over the next month or so we would love for you to get involved in our Virtual Walk! (More details can be found below). Young people, without jobs, little money from the benefit system, as you can imagine have just about enough to cover the costs of their daily living such as food, bills, and essential expenses. They are left with little to nothing to do the things they want to do, whether it be gym, days out, socialising. The money we raise together will go towards activities which promote social inclusion, increase self-esteem, run groups to support well-being, helping them to build skills and move forward in life. Not only will this be a stepping stone for them but also benefit communities to raise awareness and remove the stigma around homelessness.

Do you want to get involved and help make a difference? This is your chance to give them a chance in life again! Unfortunately for many young people, this has not been possible because they don't know where to go and feel hopeless. We want to change this, are you in?

So how can you get involved in our Virtual Walk?

1. Choose your target, 5, 10 or 15 miles.

2. Share on your socials & spread the word.

3. Download any fitness app which tracks walking and mileage eg. MapMyWalk/Fitbit or you may use any accessories such as your Apple Watch.

4. Once you have completed the walk, dont forget to take a screenshot of your miles and send this to us via Instagram @boostupyounghomeless or email to boostup@ashfordplace.org.uk.

5. Share your progress and send us pictures on Instagram and tag us!

6. The first 5 people to exceed 15 miles, tag us on Instagram and comment on how it went will receive an Amazon Gift Voucher.

We will also be doing the virtual walk ourselves with our clients, taking part in the beautiful Chess Valley walk which is a 10-mile walk from Ricksmansworth to Chesham. If you would like to do this, please download the directions here .

If you have got to the end of this, we thank you for your time and look forward to you joining us! You have until 31st October to take part in the walk! We would really appreciate the support and any donations made.

You can also subscribe to our Youtube channel @Boost Up Young Homeless and keep up to date with the latest information here:

https://www.instagram.com/boostupyounghomeless/

https://www.ashfordplace.org.uk/what-we-do/homes/boost-young-homeless