The Berkeley Foundation, the grant-making foundation set up by housebuilder the Berkeley Group, has partnered with local youth charity Youth Concern. Youth Concern has been given a grant of £60,000 over two years, to aid its long-term financial sustainability and help build organisational resilience.
The grant will cover the salary costs of the charity’s first in-house Fundraiser over the next two years. It will also support the charity to improve its data management systems, helping staff to work more efficiently and improving young people’s experience.
Youth homelessness in Aylesbury Vale is 22% higher than the national average. With many local services closing down in recent years, Youth Concern continues to see a dramatic increase in demand.
In the four-month period between October – February, the charity saw a 30% increase in young people attending its Drop-in Centre, compared to the same period the year prior.
Youth Concern offers a safe space for local young people facing additional challenges in Aylesbury Vale. They run two homelessness prevention projects, a Drop-in Centre and a counselling service.
Berkeley Foundation Resilience Fund
Youth Concern is one of five charities selected for a Resilience Fund grant in 2024, all working to support young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The Foundation’s Resilience Fund launched in October 2021, and provides support for small-to-medium-sized charities to build their resilience for the future. These organisations are experiencing real challenges as a result of the cost of living crisis, with 35% of small charities reporting that their finances have deteriorated.
The Foundation is investing £900,000 over four years, supporting 25 organisations. Grants are complemented by a learning programme to encourage peer support, and wherever possible, volunteer support from Berkeley Group staff.
Hannah Asquith, Chief Executive at Youth Concern, comments:
“Being recognised by the Berkeley Foundation for our work with Aylesbury Vale’s 13-25 year olds is wonderful. It was a competitive process and at every successful stage, we felt validated.
Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference. This grant will help us continue to be here, making a difference not only to young people when need us most, but to our charity, preparing for our next 45 years of service.”
Sally Dickinson, Head of the Berkeley Foundation says:
“Our Resilience Fund provides vital funding into smaller organisations’ own resilience, helping to make them stronger and improve their ability to deal with future challenges. This is the third year, and the need is just as urgent as when we launched the fund.
Our five new partners are all delivering important work in their communities, working with young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Our funding will contribute to them surviving the difficult current climate and ensure they are around to continue improving life for young people.
We have seen great results from the first two cohorts of Resilience Fund partners. It is exciting to see how our new partners will flourish over the next two years.”
The four additional organisations funded in the third year of the Resilience Fund are:
CARAS – Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, providing a holistic support service for new-arrival asylum seekers and refugees in South West London.
Esteem, offering an open-access hub and a safe space for vulnerable young adults in West Sussex.The Foyer Federation, a youth supported housing network for young people aged 16–25, who are unable to live at home.Settle Support, providing 1:1 coaching and wraparound support to care-experienced young people across London as they move into their first home.
