Homeless Prevention Partnership for the Young People of Gwynedd

Organisations working together to prevent homelessness

We have been extremely fortunate to receive funding from the National Lottery. An investment that enables GISDA to continue supporting the young people of the community by working in partnership with organisations to develop a plan that takes us one step closer to preventing homelessness for young people across Gwynedd.

The voice of young people is central to the work we do here at GISDA, because of this we have already identified some obstacles that young people face: lack of suitable accommodation, rising living costs, and navigating support from a mixture of organisations. There is a need for organisations to work together for the benefit of the young people of Gwynedd.

“Services should come together to help support young people so that they get a better understanding of the situation and problems that young people face. If all the services worked together it would be easier for young people to be able to get the help and support they need.”

A young person who attends the Young People’s Board

The young people of Gwynedd will be central to the work, with their voices being heard in discussions, meetings, and decisions along the way.

Our vision is to be able to create a long-term plan for tackling homelessness in the rural areas of Gwynedd, by working together with local organisations we will strengthen our network of partnerships, this will be possible by expanding to include the private sector and businesses. The network of partnerships, namely: GISDA Cyf, Gwynedd Council, Adra Tai, I’Can Betsi Cadwaladr, M-Sparc, Arloesi Gwynedd Wledig, End Youth Homelessness Cymru, DWP, Co-productions Network Wales and Dafydd Hardy, will work together to try and solve challenges and address the reasons for homelessness, identifying why many lose their home in Gwynedd.

Craig ab Iago, Gwynedd Council’s Housing and Property Cabinet Member, said:

“It is a sad fact that homelessness affects a large number of people in Gwynedd, and young people are no exception. I am therefore very pleased that we are coming together to tackle this situation by looking for new and innovative opportunities to prevent homelessness among our young people.”

Sarah Schofield, ADRA Tai Director of Customers and Communities, said:

"We are proud to be working in partnership to tackle homelessness. Homelessness is an issue that can affect anyone but there is a particular risk of young people becoming homeless. Once someone is homeless, it can affect their health, relationship, and their ability to go to college or find work.

This is not an issue the one organisation can solve on its own so it’s great to see a strong partnership in Gwynedd. What happens to young people is important to us all so by working together we can make a real difference.

I’m looking forward to meeting some of the young people and finding out how this partnership has transformed their chances in life.”

Mike Tanner said on behalf of Dafydd Hardy:

“A great idea, and hopefully through our experience in the property market we can contribute towards the long-term plan to solve the problem of homelessness for the young people in Gwynedd.”

This project is an extremely exciting one as it is the first time this partnership has worked together! There is no cross-sector forum like this where organisations can share experiences, expertise, and ideas on preventing homelessness for young people. The partnership feels passionate about tackling homelessness and between us we can develop a strong plan.

We strongly feel that such a project is innovative offering a huge benefit to young people and is an invaluable contribution towards tackling rural homelessness.

“It’s great to see so many organisations working together for the benefit of young people. Homelessness and the lack of access to safe and suitable accommodation remains to be one of the main challenges facing young people today. GISDA believes in the importance of working in partnership and shares the partners’ enthusiasm for tackling homelessness. This partnership is going to enable us to make a real difference in the lives of young people in Gwynedd”

Carwyn George, Head of Support and Accommodation Services, GISDA.