London Housing Foundation have announced a £54000 grant to support the work of Boost Up for the next two years.
Boost Up was set up in 2021 by Andrew Boakes, Binal Varsani, Lucien Lawrence and Safiya Rehman, who between them have almost 20 years of experience in the homeless sector.
Lucien Lawrence is the Chair. He said:
“Our mission is to prevent and resolve homelessness for one of the most disadvantaged groups in London, those between 18-24 and on a low income. Lots of young people today rely on the bank of mum and dad. Without parental help they are going to find it incredibly hard to afford to live in their city. But what about those who don’t have access to the bank of mum and dad? They can struggle, and a freeze on housing benefit and London’s supply and demand problem with regards to housing have made a difficult situation far worse.”
Boost Up offer exactly that, a boost to young people. For example, they can give young people:
- A time limited rental subsidy to cover the gap between housing benefit and the market rate, giving the young person in a tenancy the time to find work and afford the rent themselves.
- Access to rent in advance or deposit for those who find a property but cannot afford it.
- Support for those in accommodation with temporary rental shortfalls and facing eviction.
- A short term ‘Independence Payment’ for those on a very low income.
Lucien continues:
“We don’t want to see young people priced out of the city. We don’t want them to have to leave their home, their culture, their communities. We want to see them work hard for their success, not having to rely on the indefinite support of the state, but instead reaching financial independence through work. The grant from LHF will help us extend our work to support these young people at risk of being homeless.”
Jeremy Swain, Vice Chair of London Housing Foundation said:
“We are extremely pleased to be able to support Boost Up and the board were very positive about their exciting approach to helping young people. By providing a boost they are helping young people find their own way in the world rather than having to rely on others.”
