“Any spare change?” How often do you hear this phrase on the streets of the UK? Most likely it emits from a discreet, yet conspicuous corner, in a city centre. We walk pass them seemingly oblivious to their plight.
If they capture our attention, all sorts of images
are conjured up in our minds. Is he going to buy his next hit or just a cheese and onion
pasty from Gregg's? Is he going to be drunk beyond belief or is he going to warm
himself with cup of £1.50 Latte? Usually, at this point, we walk off as if he
wasn’t there.
However, in most cases, the course
of their lives doesn’t match our perception. Increasingly, more youngsters are
becoming homeless. Every year, 75,000 youngsters experience this ill fate. More
alarmingly, nearly half of the homelessness services (44%) and councils (48%) have
seen an increase in young people seeking help because they are homeless or are
at risk of becoming homeless.
Youngsters become and stay homeless for a whole range of
complex and overlapping reasons such as break down of relationships, abuse and
health issues. Solving homelessness is much
more than putting a roof over people's heads. Many homeless people face a
number of issues in addition to, but often compounded by, their homelessness.
We,
Team V Uclan, want to challenge and change the current general public
perception of youth homelessness. Team V Uclan is part of a national campaign to
creatively challenge this neglected issue. The campaign is a brainchild of the
independent charity, vInspired, which is dedicated to helping young people
volunteer in ways that matter to them.
Over the coming weeks, we will be holding
exhibitions, organising meetings with prominent local figures, carrying out
public stunts and other exciting activities to raise awareness and challenge
the general public’s perception of youth homelessness.
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