The Streetlife team is so pleased to share that we have been awarded a huge funding amount from The National Lottery Fund. We are set to receive £475,000, which will be used to support vulnerable young people in Blackpool for the next five years! Many of these young people will, unfortunately, be dealing with homelessness, which is why our services are so important.
How do we support young people in Blackpool?
Our dedicated team supports young people in many ways. One way is through our Night Shelter. The Night Shelter is located in the centre of Blackpool, and has space for eight young people to sleep, have a warm meal, and freshen up. Many of these simple tasks are taken for granted, but they mean the world to our young people.
The Base is our drop-in centre, which is open during the day for young people to visit. At The Base, young people can have a healthy meal, meet others and learn new skills. This service is provided by our excellent staff and volunteers, who are always happy to provide a listening ear.
Our services are available for those aged between 16 and 25, and they are designed to help young people succeed in education and employment.
How many people does Streetlife support?
Streetlife opens its doors and supports around 300 young people every single year. Around 150 of these people use the Night Shelter for a warm place to sleep. This only highlights how crucial our services are.
Receiving the funding
Streetlife is so pleased to have been awarded this funding, and we celebrated by welcoming locals into the day centre. This was a great opportunity to meet new people, recognise the hard work of our volunteers and celebrate the young people we help.
Attendees included Chris Webb MP for Blackpool South, The Worshipful Mayor of Blackpool, Councillor Kim Critchley and Mayor’s Consort Councillor Mel Fenlon, Deputy Mayor Councillor John Boughton and Deputy Mayoress Jaki Boughton.
Our fabulous young people served a delicious breakfast and refreshments to our guests before our CEO, Jane, explained more about how the funding will help so many young people.
“The Lottery funding is called Hopes & Dreams, at Streetlife our mantra has always been about providing a safe and friendly place where young people can feel at ease and to help young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness”
She continued, “It is great that we can do this and in addition to the support we provide we would really like to find out what young people’s hopes and dreams are, and to really inspire them”
As part of the talk, Jane explained how the funding will help run the shelter and cover the costs of keeping the day centre open for five days per week.
Our day centre manager, Rachael Webb, guided guests through the extensive range of services available to young people, including a free hot meal each day, a programme of activities centred on the principles of wellbeing, and access to intensive support, including the on-site therapist.
We were delighted that two of our young people wanted to perform poetry from the anthology “Always Moving”. This poetry was created by our young people, using their own experiences as part of a project with local spoken artist Nathan Parker last summer.
Chris Webb MP and the Worshipful Mayor of Blackpool, Councillor Kim Critchley, took the time to talk to the young people about their experiences and the barriers they face in the current climate.
Expressing our gratitude
At Streetlife, our team is passionate about providing young people with a platform where their voices are heard and valued. We have recently started a podcast for our young people, which can be accessed here.
Streetlife’s CEO, Jane Hugo, and the rest of the team would like to say a huge thank you to The National Lottery Fund for believing in the value of the work Streetlife does. We are dedicated to supporting the vulnerable young people in our community.
