Senior Case Studies Officer, Tamsin Clements, talks to the Centrepoint Works team to explore how our in-house learning and employment offer can support young people who may have fallen through the cracks in the education system.
In July 2020, we put together a mission statement of how we planned to support Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) staff within Centrepoint. We promised to hold ourselves accountable, to look at our processes, and to speak to those at the heart of the matter: our staff. A lot of our work on being anti-racist begins on the inside, at the core. And so, we wanted to share an update on our progress with you, our supporters, to let you know we’re still striving towards our mission. Here’s what we’ve been up to.
For so many young people who come through our doors, Centrepoint's Bursary provides a crucial lifeline for continuing their education and starting a career - both of which are key steps to independence. But did you know that we actually have three different kinds of Bursary, and that it's actually one of the last steps in helping young people to move on from homelessness? Find out more about our life-changing Bursaries here.
Financial benefits, housing support and access to government employment programmes are all key to helping homeless people gain their independence. However, for the homeless, benefits – and the process of claiming them – can sometimes seem confusing. That’s why we’re here to help with our handy guide to your entitlement.
As recipients of the lowest amount of Universal Credit, young people have been left struggling to make ends meet for decades. When the weekly £20 uplift is removed at the end of this month, many vulnerable young people will be forced to compromise between food, bills or rent – an impossible choice that will make it even harder for homeless young people to move forward with their lives.
With over 600,000 shows and 62 million listeners, you could say podcasts are pretty popular - which is why we created our own. This National Podcasting Day, we’re taking a deep dive into one of our two fantastic Centrepoint podcasts, the youth-led Point Made.(Watch this space for the story of our mental health podcast, Centred.) Find out how we made it, why it was important, and discover the young people who helped make it such a passionate podcast.
Sunday 10 October 2021 marks the 11th World Homeless Day, originally established to recognise those working to end homelessness across the world. Since its inception in 2010, the day has represented the need to raise awareness of homelessness, support those who experience it, and fight for their futures.
More than 50% of the young people Centrepoint supports come from a Black, Asian and ethnic minority background. As such, our hope this Black History Month is to initiate conversations that will help foster a fully inclusive culture at Centrepoint. Here, Digital Campaigns and Mobilisation Officer, Pooja Singh, sheds light on the challenges of being young, Black and homeless, from the perspectives of Centrepoint’s frontline staff.
On the 9 and 10 October Centrepoint’s corporate partner, Dazed, invited its audiences to come behind the scenes at its HQ at 180 The Strand in London for DAZED LIVE, to mark their 30th anniversary. The two-day festival, aimed at 16- to 25-year-olds, focused on making and showcasing music, art, fashion, activism and more, all in aid of Centrepoint.
Our legal team make up a vital part of the service we offer young people at Centrepoint. For those seeking legal support, it can be incredibly difficult to attain without financial aid, and so many often go without. Centrepoint is here to help change that. Nabila, a legal administrator coming to the end of a secondment with the Legal Team, tells us about what she has learnt during her time with the department and the important service they provide.
