Learning from lockdown

We learned a lot from previous lockdowns, more often than not the hard way. Third time around we’re past the initial tech hurdles, equipped with PPE and have more understanding of what services are available, but we’re still learning and improving constantly.

Lockdown taught us what the young people we support are really capable of. It’s taught us the importance of giving better instructions and regular clear communication. Covid-19 has shown us the true resilience of young Londoners and made it clear what we could be doing quicker and better.

We implemented a raft of new tech. We developed a Covid policy for shared accommodation which is updated monthly in line with new regulations. We’ve been able to continue taking new referrals via our online self-referral form and partner referral form. We work with a translation service over the phone to support young people who need language support.

“New Horizon stands out. They’re quick in their response times. They offer general advice for lots of different situations. I could still get help for whatever it was.” – Young person using our remote services

Remote delivery has its challenges, so much is lost by not being able to meet people face to face to build rapport and trust. A lot of the partner services we work with are closed or overwhelmed. Waiting lists are often long and we’ve been fortunate to bring on extra staff to manage our high case load.

We’re trying to recreate the holistic nature of the centre in each interaction we have with young people. Services can be hard to navigate remotely as so much needs to be done online or on the phone so our team have worked hard to strike a balance between intensive work for relationship building and more informal check-ins.

“It depends on who you are. Sometimes people want to put a face to the name. I don’t have to go anywhere so I find it easy to access.” – Young person using our remote services

Through our remote offering we’ve managed to reach young people who wouldn’t come into the centre in person. Having an online referral system is great and we want to continue to offer this once we can reopen our doors.

We have a lot more flexibility with appointments, we can do housing or counselling on young people’s lunch breaks for example, as young people don’t have to travel in to us anymore but can be supported wherever they are in London. This fits our value of meeting young people where they are.

“It gives much more freedom to communicate. It’s not forced. If you don’t want to talk to someone you don’t have to talk to someone. In person sometimes you felt like you had to speak. This way gives you more space.” – Young person using our remote counselling service

We don’t have all the answers but we’re trying to do right by each and every young person we come into contact with, as well as safeguarding our staff. We’d love to hear what you’ve learned.

Keep up to date with us

"The good, is it? The good hormone, I forget what it`s called!" Charly spoke to some of our young footballers for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek about why sport is so good for their mental health! Thanks to Aicha for telling us why sport makes her happy and healthy #MomentsForMovements #Football #Sport #MentalHealth #Endorphins #TheGoodHormone

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"The good, is it? The good hormone, I forget what it's called!" Charly spoke to some of our young footballers for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek about why sport is so good for their mental health! Thanks to Aicha for telling us why sport makes her happy and healthy #MomentsForMovements #Football #Sport #MentalHealth #Endorphins #TheGoodHormone

For #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek Charly, Head of Health, took a therapeutic stroll with Simon, our Sport & Men’s worker, to shoot some hoops and explore his perspectives on the significance of sports and physical activities in nurturing a sense of community and belonging among the young people we support. Here’s what he shared:

“It’s evident that the young people who participate in our Sports offer have formed important relationships, there is a sense of camaraderie when the players get together on Thursdays for FC Hope and Faith United. These friendships in turn offer additional support for the individuals who may be in or may have been in challenging and traumatic situations.

“Boxing sessions have young people who have formed solid friendships where the young people have been attending additional sessions together outside of NHYC. The basketball players have also formed a good core group who support each other and respect each other.

"There is evidence to strongly suggest that being part of the sessions and teams gives them a heightened sense of belonging and pride in what they can achieve together. Team building is for me an essential element along with having fun and the sessions being inclusive, everyone is treated equally and encouraged to take part regardless of their ability. It also helps with feelings that they have being isolated and lonely.”

#PowerOfMovement #MentalHealth #Basketball #TeamBuilding #Lonely #Friendships

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For #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek Charly, Head of Health, took a therapeutic stroll with Simon, our Sport & Men’s worker, to shoot some hoops and explore his perspectives on the significance of sports and physical activities in nurturing a sense of community and belonging among the young people we support. Here’s what he shared:

“It’s evident that the young people who participate in our Sports offer have formed important relationships, there is a sense of camaraderie when the players get together on Thursdays for FC Hope and Faith United. These friendships in turn offer additional support for the individuals who may be in or may have been in challenging and traumatic situations.

“Boxing sessions have young people who have formed solid friendships where the young people have been attending additional sessions together outside of NHYC. The basketball players have also formed a good core group who support each other and respect each other.

"There is evidence to strongly suggest that being part of the sessions and teams gives them a heightened sense of belonging and pride in what they can achieve together. Team building is for me an essential element along with having fun and the sessions being inclusive, everyone is treated equally and encouraged to take part regardless of their ability. It also helps with feelings that they have being isolated and lonely.”

#PowerOfMovement #MentalHealth #Basketball #TeamBuilding #Lonely #Friendships

This year we`ve seen more young people affected by homelessness in London than ever before. So we are expanding our teams, joining new partnerships & increasing the support we offer to young people. We have new exciting roles available across our teams, take a look in the link in our bio 💙

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This year we've seen more young people affected by homelessness in London than ever before. So we are expanding our teams, joining new partnerships & increasing the support we offer to young people. We have new exciting roles available across our teams, take a look in the link in our bio 💙

Alicia from @centrepointuk at Parliament today for the Westminster Hall debate on ending youth homelessness! #PlanForThe136k

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Alicia from @centrepointuk at Parliament today for the Westminster Hall debate on ending youth homelessness! #PlanForThe136k

Our young people have skills! ⚽️ Football training is the highlight of the week for our young lads. But arguably the most important part of FC Hope is connecting, laughing and making friends over food, after a brilliant training session.
But to keep this up we really need your help. Help us to feed the footballers - keeping young people affected by homelessness safe, healthy and connected 🍗🍟🍕🥗🍊🌮
Get in touch or make a donation today 🙏

#feedthefootballers #freestyle #football #footballfreestyle #pizza #chickenandchips #moveyourbody #moveyourfeet #dontstopthebeat

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Our young people have skills! ⚽️ Football training is the highlight of the week for our young lads. But arguably the most important part of FC Hope is connecting, laughing and making friends over food, after a brilliant training session.
But to keep this up we really need your help. Help us to feed the footballers - keeping young people affected by homelessness safe, healthy and connected 🍗🍟🍕🥗🍊🌮
Get in touch or make a donation today 🙏

#feedthefootballers #freestyle #football #footballfreestyle #pizza #chickenandchips #moveyourbody #moveyourfeet #dontstopthebeat

This morning`s statistics showing a huge rise in rough sleepers in the past year is a "national scandal". Alongside @Centrepointuk, we`re calling the 33% increase in rough sleeping in London, with a 43% increase in young people aged 18-25 a deepening crisis. The number of young people we have seen in our day centre has increased by a third, about half of those are sleeping on the streets when they first come.

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This morning's statistics showing a huge rise in rough sleepers in the past year is a "national scandal". Alongside @Centrepointuk, we're calling the 33% increase in rough sleeping in London, with a 43% increase in young people aged 18-25 a deepening crisis. The number of young people we have seen in our day centre has increased by a third, about half of those are sleeping on the streets when they first come.

We’re taking the #PlanForThe136k campaign to Parliament by holding a debate about the need for a youth-specific homelessness strategy! We need as many MPs as possible to be there and hear our call for urgent action. Will you send a quick email to invite your MP to the Westminster Hall debate? It takes just 30 seconds. LINK IN BIO

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We’re taking the #PlanForThe136k campaign to Parliament by holding a debate about the need for a youth-specific homelessness strategy! We need as many MPs as possible to be there and hear our call for urgent action. Will you send a quick email to invite your MP to the Westminster Hall debate? It takes just 30 seconds. LINK IN BIO

“The Earth is what we all have in common.” - Wendell Berry
Getting crafty to celebrate Earth Day today at New Horizon Youth Centre! Caseworker Victoria said this morning ‘We need to make sure young people have a future to look forward to and caring for the planet is so important… if we don’t look after the Earth, we might all be homeless!’
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#earthday2024 #MotherNature #sustainable #caring #planet #nature #Earth #climatechange #homelessness #youthactivism

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“The Earth is what we all have in common.” - Wendell Berry
Getting crafty to celebrate Earth Day today at New Horizon Youth Centre! Caseworker Victoria said this morning ‘We need to make sure young people have a future to look forward to and caring for the planet is so important… if we don’t look after the Earth, we might all be homeless!’
.
.
.
#earthday2024 #MotherNature #sustainable #caring #planet #nature #Earth #climatechange #homelessness #youthactivism

We’ve started a new basketball team and we need your help! Our young people love it 🏀⛹🏾⛹️‍♀️ It is great we can offer sports as a release, as a way to have fun, as a way to access further support and as a way develop skills. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the help of valuable partners and supporters. But we need your help! If you can donate any basketball kits, or the funds for us to buy some, please get in touch 🙏

#basketball #basketballtraining

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We’ve started a new basketball team and we need your help! Our young people love it 🏀⛹🏾⛹️‍♀️ It is great we can offer sports as a release, as a way to have fun, as a way to access further support and as a way develop skills. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the help of valuable partners and supporters. But we need your help! If you can donate any basketball kits, or the funds for us to buy some, please get in touch 🙏

#basketball #basketballtraining

Have you heard of the Shared Accomodation Rate? People under 35 get LESS housing benefit because it is assumed they can live with their families or in shared flats/houses... They can only get the Shared Accommodation Rate which is the lowest form of housing benefit (Local Housing Alliance), designed for just being able to rent a single room. This directly pushes young people towards homelessness, as so many are now not able to afford to rent anywhere, or are forced into unsuitable accommodation.

Daniel Lewis explains what, where, how and why the Shared Accommodation Rate exists, how it impacts what he sees everyday @glassdoorlondon and how it can be changed.

If you think this is totally ridiculous too, join our campaign for a #PlanForThe136k

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Have you heard of the Shared Accomodation Rate? People under 35 get LESS housing benefit because it is assumed they can live with their families or in shared flats/houses... They can only get the Shared Accommodation Rate which is the lowest form of housing benefit (Local Housing Alliance), designed for just being able to rent a single room. This directly pushes young people towards homelessness, as so many are now not able to afford to rent anywhere, or are forced into unsuitable accommodation.

Daniel Lewis explains what, where, how and why the Shared Accommodation Rate exists, how it impacts what he sees everyday @glassdoorlondon and how it can be changed.

If you think this is totally ridiculous too, join our campaign for a #PlanForThe136k

Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating today! ✨🌙

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Eid Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating today! ✨🌙

“Every property listed on Hiizzy isn’t just a step towards a new home for someone; it’s a step towards a brighter future for young individuals facing homelessness.”
We are so grateful to be partners with @Hiizzymarketplace , a new way of buying and selling property in the UK. 10% revenue will be donated to NHYC, to support our vision of giving every young Londoners potential a home.

https://buff.ly/3PLD7jB

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Learning from lockdown

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