Homelessness charity to develop youth volunteering programme

The funding has been awarded to Depaul UK through the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching Communities programme, which awards grants in excess of £10,000 to help people and communities most in need.?

?The charity will use the grant to fund the "Get Volunteering" programme, which will aim to encourage young people affected by homelessness to take on voluntary work.
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It will form part of Depaul UK's national Get Up and Go progression programme for 16- to 25-year-olds, which supports young people affected by homelessness on their path to independent living, training and employment.?

Nick Sinclair, head of volunteering at Depaul UK, said: "This is an exciting new venture for Depaul UK, inspired and designed by young people in our services across the country." ??

The charity is also looking to recruit three part-time project co-ordinators for its North East, North West and London offices to lead the project.

The co-ordinators will be tasked with supporting homeless young people into volunteering opportunities, and helping them develop skills and to engage with the community.

"We are now looking for three excellent people to join the team to bring this project to life," Sinclair added. "Their roles will be broad and exciting, supporting young people to start volunteering within Depaul and in their local communities."

James Harcourt, deputy director of responsive programmes at the Big Lottery Fund, added: "It's great to see Depaul UK bringing such a positive change to communities.

??"They are giving young people affected by homelessness the opportunity to overcome barriers, learn new skills and improve their lives for the future."