Support to avert youth homelessness

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Youth Support Team have developed an innovative project to help avert Youth homelessness.

The scheme sees young people develop a range of skills via a blended learning approach.

The Youth Service have worked with partners in Learning Pembrokeshire to design a Virtual Learning Platform which provides an opportunity for young people to participate in a range of interactive activities aimed at developing their independent living skills.

James White, the Council’s Deputy Chief Education Officer responsible for the Youth Service and Learning Pembrokeshire, said: “I’m really pleased that both services are working together to deliver this vital work.

“Learning Pembrokeshire’s virtual learning platform is attracting interest from a range of partners, and the efforts of the Youth Service to tackle youth homelessness have received national acclaim – this work is more important now than ever before.”     

Participants can access this on any smart device, using technologies they interact with on an everyday basis.

Once they reach key milestones in this platform they are invited to a newly developed Independent Living Centre where they can both demonstrate these freshly acquired skills and continue to learn new ones.

Engagement in this course then gives young people access to another innovative initiative – a furniture and equipment library.

Again run by the Youth Service, this scheme lets young people loan items needed to turn their accommodation into comfortable homes for free.

This gives them an opportunity to continue to develop their skills with the support of youth workers, while avoiding the trap of high interest credit to furnish and equip their homes.

David Walker, the Youth Homelessness Co-ordinator, said: “Furnishing and equipping a home can be expensive. Young people need to develop a range of skills including budgeting when making the transition to running their own homes.

“This scheme allows them to develop a sense of emotional investment in their properties whilst continuing to upskills themselves with the support of youth workers.”

Nick Hudd, Senior Youth Work Practitioner, explained: “This scheme illustrates the collaborative approach the Youth Service adopts when tackling Youth Homelessness.

“We have worked with Learning Pembrokeshire to develop an innovative virtual platform and ensured young people have helped to design the content. We work with our own Housing department as well as housing group, Ateb, to ensure a steady flow of furniture and equipment.

“Commercial stakeholders like Bluestone also provide us with donated items, as do a very supportive community with individuals also making donations. We have even worked with our own refuse department to ensure access to bins through the project.”

As well as investing in young people’s future, the scheme also looks to reduce the amount of useable household items being sent to landfill, by reusing and upcycling them.

Tim Ramsey, a housing and social care project officer said “During the pandemic, when young people have found it hard to find affordable furniture and equipment via the usual second hand channels, the scheme has loaned around 90 items.

“These include: ten sofas, seven beds and mattresses, six wardrobes, 13 chairs, six chest of drawers, five microwaves, a washing machine, numerous crockery and cutlery sets. All were destined to be sent to landfill before being reassigned by the project.”