Depaul UK

At Depaul UK we empower young people experiencing homelessness. We provide emergency accommodation, supported housing and other services to help people rebuild their lives.

depaulcharity.org.uk Fundraise for us

Registered charity no. 802384

Member since October 2019

Latest News

Danger Zones and Stepping Stones.

Depaul UK launched research, supported by LetterOne, into the experiences of young people affected by homelessness. The report, which is entitled Danger Zones and Stepping Stones: Phase Two, makes recommendations based on a quantitative survey of 712 young people.

It follows up on the first Danger Zones and Stepping Stones report which was launched in 2016 and proposed a new approach to assessing temporary living situations, following qualitative research done with young service users. This second phase of Depaul UK's research has shown the scale of harm that young people in temporary accommodation can be subjected to.

It shows that around one in five young women responding to the survey had been sexually abused or exploited whilst out of stable accommodation, and around a quarter of respondents identifying as LGBT+ had engaged in sexual activity in return for a place to stay.

The report was based on a survey of people aged from 16 to 25 using homelessness services across England and found that over half of those surveyed had been harmed whilst in temporary living arrangements.

This figure rose to two-thirds of the people identifying as LGBT+, 66 percent of whom had experienced harm in temporary living arrangements.

Harm done to the young people surveyed included mental, emotional, sexual and physical abuse, pressure to drink alcohol and take drugs and property being stolen or damaged.

In response to these findings, Depaul UK called on the Government to reconsider planned changes to supported accommodation. Supported Accommodation refers to housing where accommodation and support are provided together; services which the report showed are safer for young people than informal arrangements. Funding reforms have been proposed which threaten the future of supported accommodation for people facing homelessness. Depaul UK and other organisations have been critical of the Government’s proposals. To read the full report visit https://uk.depaulcharity.org/research-danger-zones-part-two

About us

The largest share of Depaul UK's work is delivered through the provision of supported accommodation across the North East, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, London and the South East. Our accommodation largely consists of small shared homes where support staff work alongside young people to help them achieve independence and prevent future homelessness. In 2018 we supported 2,008 young people in this way.

In 2018 Depaul UK led a network of 31 active Nightstop services from Glasgow to Guernsey. We believe that no young person should sleep in an unsafe place - ever. To prevent that we place young people in the homes of volunteer hosts, while we try to find them long-term, stable accommodation.

We believe that the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place. This is why we focus much of our work on areas including family mediation, housing advice, counselling and working in schools. Also by working alongside people accessing Depaul UK services, we support them in setting, achieving and sustaining their education, training and employment goals, and ensuring they have access to a wide array of volunteering opportunities. We provide a range of group outings, activities and creative sessions, to ensure that young people are able to live healthier lives which support their physical and mental health. It also helps them develop a range of social and practical skills.

We also work with offenders because we recognise that they are among the most marginalised members of society and at an increased risk of homelessness. We know that individuals lacking in suitable accommodation on release are significantly more likely to return to patterns of offending behaviour. In 2018, Depaul UK worked in three prisons and Youth Offending Institutes in Greater London giving 1,216 custody leavers essential housing advice. Helping them to secure stable housing.