YMCA England & Wales

As the cost of living crisis intensifies, a report launched by YMCA England & Wales warns that the health, wellbeing and future prospects of young residents are under threat, with no proposed Government support in sight.

YMCA’s 'Inside the cost of living crisis’ report was compiled using focus groups within supported housing, and reveals that alongside increased reliance on food banks and donations, young people in supported housing are now having to decide between skipping meals entirely and keeping warm as they head towards a difficult winter.

Aspirations have also been forced to a halt as young people who had planned to move on from supported accommodation no longer felt able to take that risk, and those struggling daily to secure stable employment now face uncertainty over the future of vital benefits.

Financial resilience amongst young people on benefits is low overall, with many already in high levels of debt, but some in supported housing now find themselves exempt from the proposed £400 energy rebate, which would go a substantial way to improving their situation.

Unsurprisingly, the mental health of young people has also declined as a result of the cost of living crisis, with many feeling unable to do anything social or even use public transport because all they can afford to do is survive, leaving them trapped and isolated.

Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England & Wales, said:

“Even before the cost of living crisis hit, young people in supported housing found themselves disproportionately affected by financial strain and limited job prospects.

“Now, they face having to decide between eating and staying warm, alongside increasing uncertainty over threats that risk plunging them even further below the poverty line, and fighting damaging stereotypes when trying to secure work.

“Not only are these pressures significantly impacting the health, wellbeing and opportunities of young people in supported housing, the lack of support from Government risks leaving them more desperate and disillusioned than ever.

“If Government really aspires to help those most in need to secure the employment they are so desperate for and achieve financial stability, they need to help young people establish the confidence and independence to do just that. Our campaign calls for urgent action.”

YMCA is calling on Government to rethink its approach by updating welfare benefits in line with inflation, and increasing funding to provide local authority grants to support local needs, such as food and winter clothes vouchers.

Government must also amend rules around the £400 energy rebate to include those living in supported housing, and address the systemic issues with moving on from supported housing, as well as the barriers faced when trying to get into work.

*Add your voice to YMCA’s campaign today to support young people and help end the cost of living crisis. *

YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of supported housing for young people in England and Wales, providing a bed for 8,800 people each night and collectively helping more than 20,000 people experiencing homelessness each year.

Devalued by a decade of cuts, dramatic fall in spend per head and a debilitating postcode lottery

Research by YMCA reveals that not only have funding cuts now reached £1.1bn (a real-terms fall of 74% since 2010/11) but annual spend per head on 5-to-17-year-olds in England has plummeted from £158 in 2010/11 to just £37 in 2020/21.

And looking at local authority spend per head across the two countries, YMCA discovered a postcode lottery of funding variations.

Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England & Wales, said:

“As the longest provider of youth services in England and Wales, YMCA has tracked the real-terms decline in youth services funding over the past several years. However, these latest figures from 2020/21 are especially significant in not only highlighting the localised fallout of a new global crisis, but also the harsh reality of a generation and sector repeatedly devalued by devastating cuts.

“In addition to a decade of funding failures, young people have spent the past two years adjusting to periods of staying at home, limited social interaction, education anxieties, and a whole host of worries like no generation before. Simultaneously for the sector, the pandemic meant a shift in how youth services operated, placing significant pressure on their ability to support young people through these difficult transitions.

“All young people deserve access to the services capable of empowering them to achieve a bright future. We cannot let location dictate these opportunities, and we must no longer expect youth service providers to remain in survival mode as their funding streams continue to be squeezed, or worse still dry up entirely. Crucial and proportional investment is needed now.”

As the Government releases the first £10m of its long-awaited £500m Youth Investment Fund (YIF), YMCA is urging them to unlock further finance for areas in most critical need, thereby breathing new life into this vital sector through targeted programmes, universal youth services and experienced youth workers across England and Wales.

Each year YMCAs provide a safe space for 41,960 young people through their extensive youth services work, welcoming almost 20,000 young people through their 79 youth centres in England and Wales.