This week (25^th January -2^nd February) is poverty and homelessness action week. However Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme deals with the issues all 52 weeks of the year. They support vulnerable and homeless young people aged 16-25 year olds by providing temporary supported accommodation and projects like the Drop-In Centre and Nightstay. 

BYPHS had a successful 2013, opening up more accommodation for the young people who use their services and they hope 2014 is going to be even better.

They wanted to develop 4 areas this year:-

ï·         Charity Fundraising locally

ï·         Awareness raising about the scheme and homelessness in general

ï·         Develop 2 areas of the business to offer additional services for homeless young people

ï·         Build up the service user engagement

It’s not even February yet and BYPHS are already on track to fulfill some of their ambitions. 

They will be doing some fundraising locally by taking part in a charity bag pack on Saturday 22^nd February at Asda Burnden Park. If you’re shopping on that day make surre you donate any loose change you have to BYPHS.

Not only that, you can support BYPHS throughout the months of January and February if you shop at Asda Burnden Park. In the supermarket they have a designated BYPHS box where you can drop a green token in. If BYPHS receives the most tokens out of all the charities who have boxes Asda will donate money to BYPHS. So after you’ve done your shopping, don’t leave the store without posting your green tokens!

BYPHS have recently secured two years funding for a new emergency housing service for 18 year olds. This should hopefully open in spring of this year

On the 28^th February, BYPHS are holding a quiz night along with a pasty and peas supper, raffle and music. More details on that here.

The biggest event so far in BYPHS’s calendar is Maura Jackson, director of BYPHS, will be walking a mile in the young people’s shows. This means she will be living on the scheme in one of the flats for 5 days in February. She will be filming and recording her experiences every day so you can keep track of her progress.

All the money raised on these activities will go direct to young people via BYPHS’S emergency welfare fund. They need about £6,000 a year to address emergencies including

• Money for meters, as there’s no heating or light when benefits are suspended or stopped.
• Food parcels for young people who have literally nothing until their benefits or wages are             sorted out,
• Money for transport if young people are ill or in crisis.
•  Money for items for college which would stop young people being able to attend college if BYPHS couldn’t provide it – books, tools and uniforms.
• Money to pay for birth certificates or other ID when parents are refusing to pass the originals on or have destroyed them. (Young people cannot claim Housing Benefit if they have no ID)

It costs £4,000 per day to run all of BYPHS services. That’s £40 a day for each person they support. Please sponsor Maura and make a difference to a young person’s life. Her Just Giving Page is