Dear Alison McGovern MP

We are a group of young people all aged between 18 and 25 who, not long ago, were without a safe place to call home. Today, thanks to Youth Concern, we now live in a converted family home in central Aylesbury that offers a roof over our heads, and support to live with confidence, purpose and possibility.

We’re writing to invite you to visit us here, at the Next Step Project.

Yesterday’s news highlighted a 9% rise in deaths among people experiencing homelessness, including 11 children. Your words — that this represents an “abject failure that cannot be tolerated” — spoke to us. We share your sense of urgency because we know what it feels like to be close to those statistics.

This is why we are inviting you to meet us. We believe lasting solutions begin with listening — not only to reports and statistics, but to the real voices of people with lived experience.

Youth Concern was also a founding partner of the newly formed Bucks Homeless Partnership — a collaboration between five local charities* that champions a joined-up approach to homelessness. We will invite people from the other four organisations to join the meeting, to share insights from across Buckinghamshire and highlight the power of working together.

Your visit would give us all a chance to:

Highlight the vital role Youth Concern and its partners have played;
Talk about what we believe needs to change — from the ground up;
Show you the impact of a coordinated, compassionate approach.

We know your time is valuable, but your visit would mean so much to vulnerably housed young people across Bucks. It would demonstrate your commitment to listening to people with lived experience.

Thank you for considering this invitation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Residents of the Next Step Project