A new drive to ‘buddy up’ young people with positive role models to help prevent youth homelessness is to be announced today by Housing Minister Iain Wright. Whilst the number of young people under 25 becoming homeless last quarter fell by more than 1,000 (15 per cent) compared to the previous year, as a result of investment in prevention services, they still account for 39 per cent of all new cases of homelessness. Peer mentoring has made a difference in preventing homelessness by providing support at a crucial time for young people who may be experiencing personal difficulties or family breakdowns. Family intervention and mediation can also be key in stopping young people at risk from making the step to leaving home by working together to identify the problems and move together to a solution. The Government now wants to encourage all local authorities to offer these services as part of a new strategy to drive down youth homelessness, alongside other approaches such as supported lodgings. A young person can become ‘buddied up’ in a number of ways: they can be referred to the scheme by their school, by a local authority or a housing organisation, or they may simply apply direct for support having heard of the scheme through word of mouth or seeing a leaflet or poster in their local community. Peer mentors, like the young people they help, may come from any number of backgrounds, though many have first hand experience of homelessness. They may help a young person at risk from homelessness through offering practical advice over a coffee, or by pointing the way to local services or local educational or training opportunities - or by simply being around to listen. The Housing Minister will highlight the case of Eleena Fraser, a peer mentor at homelessness charity St. Basil’s. Having experienced homelessness when a teenager, Eleena is currently providing support, advice and access to services for young people. Eleena first came into contact with peer mentoring when she applied to a charity for support to buy a cooker for her new flat. Due to her experience of homelessness a co-ordinator asked her if she was interested in becoming a mentor herself.

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9 May 2008
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