Every year, more than 7,000 young people under the age of 25 in Wales ask for help with homelessness. This is in addition to the many more who don't know where to turn or ask for help.
That’s why, through our Frontline Fund, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity funds Team Around The Tenancy, TGP Cymru‘s service for people aged 16-25 who are experiencing difficulties with their home and/or don’t have a home.
“For me, it’s through personal experience, I was homeless at one point myself. Which is why I really wanted to do this, to help people to be like, I’ve been there. I know how hard it is. And I’ll help you get through it as well.”
Jade Pescod, Engagement Worker, TGP Cymru
Why the project is so important
Young people in North Wales are often isolated
Team Around The Tenancy (TATT) help young people by building, maintaining and where necessary repairing relationships when it is needed. This also helps combat isolation and loneliness in the community. Young people will be encouraged to identify their strengths, skills and resources to make positive changes with their practitioner and to develop their own action plan. The young people lead on what they need and the team provide a unique service to every individual who access the service.
Not only do the TATT team offer professional support to the young people who use the service, but also peer support in the form of group days out and activities such as craft days.
“A lot of the young people we work with are isolated and they tend to struggle being at home on their own or in emergency accommodation on their own. The group sessions we do are face to face and in person, so the young people will get to meet other young people in similar situations.”
Jade Pescod, Engagement Worker, TGP Cymru
Holistic support for young people
Most of the time, the number one issue that the young people are facing is to do with housing, whether they are sofa surfing, homeless or in emergency accommodation. The TATT team will work with them on these issues, and as the relationships build over time, start to draw out other things that they may be struggling with and offer support and help with that too.
“We tend to sway towards doing things with and not for the young people. We holistically with them, depending on their situation and their needs, and we work to empower them to be able to work through these issues.”
Shaun Morris, Practitioner, TGP Cymru
The support the project provides
Thanks to the Frontline Fund, the TATT team are able to provide more all-round support to young people across North Wales. The grant from St Martin’s has allowed the TATT to increase capacity across the board, hiring more support workers and helping more people. It has also allowed them to hire dedicated legal advocates who are there, with specialist knowledge that the team didn’t have before, to help any of the young people who have any legal issues to understand exactly what is happening at each step of the legal process.
“The fact that we have advocates available in-house now is really beneficial, because when we’re working with people with legal orders that they have to adhere to, we can utilise the advocates to make sure they understand that legal position.”
Kate White, Senior Practitioner, TGP Cymru
The support and guidance provided can be wide-ranging. By taking the time to listen to and be led by the young people, the Team Around The Tenancy team ensure that each individual feels in control of their journey away from homelessness, equipped with the confidence, knowledge and skills to realise their potential and to be able to live as independently as possible.