The Boost Up Project is in full swing. Funded by the GLA and Housing Justice for its innovation, Boost Up provides housing and long term support for homeless people in the 18-24 demographic, who have found it the hardest due to benefit rules to establish themselves in long term accommodation.
Without this long term accommodation, our cities greatest natural resource – our young people – is stifled. Dreams are crushed, aspirations diminished. We can’t let that happen.
Therefore, Boost Up exists. It matches young people with housing and tops up the rent that is not covered by housing benefit. In return, the young person has to attend a weekly support session with one of our caseworkers. The theme of the casework session is ‘one for the wallet, one for the soul’. Simply put, that means that while we help the young person find work that will pay the bills (the wallet), we will not give up on what makes them tick, what fills their soul. We explore with them what they feel they are good at, what talent they have put to the side because of their homelessness and financial situation. And we will not stop caseworking with them until they refill their soul.
Our Boost Up Coordinator, Anita, has started with us this month, and has already started caseworking the 13 young people already on the scheme. She has successfully housed a further 2 young people on the scheme.
But this scheme cannot continue without public support. The cost of a Netflix or Spotify account a month from yourselves could keep a young person in a home, and enable them to prosper and succeed in our city and become the next generation of London’s success story.
Put your hands together, and Boost Our Young People up.