The Vamps’ guitarist James McVey joined a group of Centrepoint residents and handed in a petition to Parliament, calling on the government to ensure Universal Credit covers the true cost of renting for young people who have experienced homelessness.
The petition had been signed by more than 20,000 people.
Previous to the campaign’s success when someone aged 25 or over had spent three months or more in a homeless hostel, they become eligible to claim the higher one bedroom rate of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to help them find a safe, affordable place to live once they have moved on. However, if you have lived in a hostel and are under 25, you receive a lower rate intended to cover the cost of renting a room in a shared property - something which is often unsuitable for vulnerable young people.
We ultimately won the campaign allowing young people leaving homelessness accommodation to be able to claim the higher one-bedroom rate, at an estimated cost of just £3.7m per year.
It was amazing to work with James in giving vulnerable young people a better chance to move on from hostels and supported accommodation and live independently.
