Aberdeen Foyer Awarded a Nationwide Community Grant to help alleviate youth homelessness in the Northeast
12 Apr 2022
Barry Reaper of Aberdeen Foyer’s housing team collects cheque from Kimeya Varzi, Nationwide, Aberdeen
Aberdeen Foyer, a northeast charity supporting people experiencing difficult life situations such as poverty, unemployment, and homelessness, has been awarded a grant through Nationwide Building Society to enable the coproduction of six additional affordable homes for young people in Aberdeen City.
The Nationwide Community Grant will provide the means to recruit support staff that will co-ordinate delivery of a pre-apprenticeship project with young people to renovate properties. When complete, the properties will provide modernised, safe accommodation for young people at an affordable cost.
Learning, training and skills development acquired during the project will be accredited at SQA/City & Guilds to optimise employability and learning opportunities for young people. Links will be established with employers to create further opportunities for work experience.
Aberdeen Foyer has previously secured funding from LandAid to refurbish empty properties to create quality, affordable tenancies for up to 6 young people. The funds from Nationwide will engage support staff to enable the package of investment to be unlocked.
Chief Executive Leona McDermid said: “Over 30% of people who present as homeless to local authorities in the Northeast are young people aged 16-25. That equates to around 850 young people each year and is well above the national average. Being able to access safe, refurbished accommodation at an affordable cost will give at least 6 young people not only security but a chance to access education and work, to build their confidence and move on to a more positive future.”
Craig Taylor, Social Investment Manager, Nationwide Building Society said: Helping local communities is at the heart of what it means to be a building society for Nationwide. Thanks to our Community Grants programme, we are so thrilled to be able to award £50,000 to Aberdeen Foyer, knowing this will make a positive difference to so many individuals in the local community. Local charities have been hit by the pandemic and anything we can do to support and help them continue their valuable work with local communities is so important.”
Aberdeen Foyer has over 25 years’ experience in helping to alleviate youth homelessness across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and it works with around 130 young people daily, either as tenants who have experienced homelessness or those who are disengaged from education, at risk of homelessness or not living at home but are under 16.