Solihull Council in the West Midlands has announced that it will be launching a new pilot Youth Hub to tackle the issue of homelessness among young adults.
The Youth Hub will launch on 1 April and will provide housing advice and specialist home options support to single young people aged 16-24 at risk of homelessness or in housing need.
The service will enable the development of early intervention partnerships across community locations – and fund specialist mental health support for young people, staff working with young people, and parents and carers.
Operating for an initial term of two years, the pilot will aim to accurately measure demand, capture the range of needs that young people are presented with – and highlight gaps in local services that need to be addressed.
Midlands-based charity St Basils will deliver the Youth Hub on behalf of the council – the charity specialises in preventing homelessness among young adult aged 16-24. St Basils will work closely with Solihull Community Housing and other statutory services and partner organisations.
The council says that people will be able to refer those they are concerned about or themselves – either online or by contacting the Youth Hub, which will be based in Kingshurst.
Outreach services will also be available in Chelmsley Wood and Solihull Town Centre.
Details of the referral process, service opening hours and contact information will be available on the St Basils website when the service launches.
Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration, Councillor Ken Hawkins, said:
“To get this pilot up and running will be great for Solihull – and it will provide much needed support to those in danger of becoming homeless.
“We are excited to be working with St Basils and adopting this new approach to ensure young adults in the borough are getting the support they need before they find themselves in serious trouble.
“We know that in most instances it is best for young people to be with their families – and through targeted mediation, housing advice and housing options assistance, St Basils will support young people to return home and work towards independent living in a planned way.”
The model on which the service will be based was developed nationally, following research which shows that working to prevent homelessness and encourage planned moves leads to better outcomes for young people – and saves money across public services.
Deputy Chief Executive of St Basils, Lorna Esien, said:
“We have worked in this field for 45 years and in Solihull for over 20 years –we know that the only way to have a positive impact on tackling the issue is through working with partners. We look forward to helping shape the positive futures of young people through this partnership.”
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