YMCA Roomsponsor

Become a Roomsponsor

 

When a young person becomes homeless they are often lonely, isolated and vulnerable. Without support they can easily become trapped in a life of poverty, exclusion, or worse. However, you can help them to turn their life around.

 

Since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, we have provided a safe place to:

  • 33 rough sleepers in Cambridge
  • 22 rough sleepers in Peterborough
  • 5 rough sleepers in Ipswich

 

From just 40p a day (£12 a month), you can become a YMCA Roomsponsor and support a young person in any of our accommodation sites across Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. By donating in this way, you will provide someone with:

  • the freedom from danger and hunger and a safe place to call home
  • an end to isolation by being welcomed in the family at YMCA Trinity Group
  • basic life skills, such as budgeting and cooking, to enable them to move towards independence
  • counselling and support in a trusting environment
  • the skills and training to get into education, training and work which will lead to an independent life

 

£12 a month

£24 a month

£36 a month

provides a young person with a room at one of our accommodation sites

can provide a young person with access to mental health support and counselling sessions

provides a young person with careers advice, as well as practical skills to get into work or education

 

We offer far more than just a bed for the night, we help young people change their lives and face the future with confidence.

To donate or set up a direct debit, click on the button below and you’ll be taken to our dedicated fundraising page on the YMCA website.

 

Change a Life Today

Case Study

 

Carmen was a previous YMCA resident but with the help and support she received, she was able to rebuild relationships with her family as well as gain the skills needed for adult life. She is now a Project Worker at our Ipswich accommodation site. Find out more about her story below.

Read about Carmen

“I’m an Accommodation Project Worker in Ipswich and have been working here since April 2019, supporting young people living in our provisions.

Back in 2012, I moved into YMCA as a young person in need of supported accommodation due to a breakdown in my family relationships. I can remember feeling extremely anxious about moving into supported housing as I had never experienced living independently away from my family. When I first came on-site, I was greeted by my Project Worker and was reassured about the support I would be gaining from living at YMCA, the rules and security including 24/7 staffing and CCTV. This eased my anxiety and allowed me to feel calmer about the situation that I was in and to open up more to my Project Worker about what support I would need and any future goals I had in mind that we could work towards.

As a young person living independently it can be very overwhelming with the amount of change that happens from living in the family home to becoming independent. There are many responsibilities that a young person will gain from not living in the family home and I feel that if I had not had my time living at YMCA then I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Living at YMCA also gave me and my family the space needed to build back our relationships which are now stronger than ever.

During my time at YMCA I learned many life skills that have helped me massively in my adult life. I gained knowledge and experience managing and paying bills, went through budgeting plans on how to manage the remaining money for the month, learned daily skills such as maintaining accommodation cleanliness, laundry, cooking, and shopping. All of these I still use in my current daily adult life and I feel confident in being able to complete these successfully which is something I never thought I could do when first moving in back in 2012. I also gained my first job whilst living at YMCA and I was supported in updating my CV, applying for the role and discussing transport and wages and had continued support from staff after I had started my employment.

Since moving out of YMCA I have been grateful for the support I’ve received and wanted to give something back to this sector by working in this industry. In 2019, I saw that YMCA were looking for an Accommodation Project Worker, I applied, and fortunately I got the role! I knew that my own personal experience would be extremely beneficial in my role and has it has been very helpful in many situations when supporting my caseload of young people.

When I talked to the residents about when I lived at YMCA, they said they felt reassured as I had gone through some of the same experiences as them and I could relate on some levels to their individual situations. I’ve also helped to support our young people by attending support sessions with their worker, working with them to set future goals and how to achieve them, and being on hand during their low days when they are struggling with their mental health. Some residents can feel very stuck in their accommodation and find it hard to move on from YMCA, however I’ve shown them that they are more than capable of moving on positively and achieving their own personal goals just like I have which I find can reassures their anxieties.

I have built very positive relationships with the residents and enjoy being their Project Worker, providing the same support I received when I was their age. I show them that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to and watching them achieve their goals is an unexplainable feeling of enjoyment, seeing the smile on their faces is what pushes me every day.”