High Sheriff of West Sussex learns how YMCA Downslink Group helps young homeless people

As the arrival of a more infectious strain adds a most unwelcome twist to the impact of coronavirus, the extraordinary and collective response through our county to meet the needs of those most at risk and vulnerable continues apace. As High Sheriff, my focus on loneliness has introduced me to the particular challenges being faced by young people who have become homeless and I was therefore delighted to learn more about this problem from Samantha Burton, who is the chaplain of the YMCA Downslink Group (DLG) in West Sussex.

Samantha told me youth homelessness on the whole has been exacerbated this year due to the pandemic – with the YMCA DLG seeing a 61 per cent rise in young people presenting as homeless in March and April this year, compared to the same time in 2019. The lockdowns, schools closing and job losses have put huge strain on families, and on people’s mental and emotional health in general, and all of these factors contribute towards youth homelessness, something the YMCA DLG is constantly trying to tackle and prevent.

Housing more than 760 homeless young people across Sussex and Surrey in 24-hour supported accommodation, and supporting even more through ‘move on’ projects, youth advice centres, counselling and more, the YMCA DLG strives to help all young people feel they belong, that they can contribute and they can thrive, and aims to improve the lives of the young people it supports in their physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Yes, spiritual, too!

The YMCA chaplains support both staff and residents, mainly through being there for them, as a listening ear, a cup of tea, a walk on the beach, or, where requested, through prayer, even to arranging special services.

They also co-ordinate volunteer chaplains – there are about 19 in Samantha’s team, from a wonderful variety of faith backgrounds, who, pre-Covid, came in every week to cook meals and sit down and eat with the young people, something that seems pretty ‘normal’, taken for granted among many of us, but for them, something really special.

This year, the chaplaincy has really created a sense of community, connection and joy among those who, for several months, were completely isolated. In West Sussex, Samantha brought back meals weekly to grateful residents.

“Chaplaincy is the only reason I come out of my room, other than necessities,” said more than one resident across the projects she visits in Worthing, Crawley and Horsham.

The weekly meals, or even just tea and chats in the ‘move on’ projects, have brought laughter back for some, a bit of levity and ‘something to look forward to each week’. All this through simple meals – done in as Covid-safe a way as possible – and by presence, by being there and listening and chatting and providing that safe space for the residents to be themselves, to get things off their chests, to feel like they matter.

At this time of year, when there is so much emphasis on family, togetherness, and presents – things many of them have never had, or don’t have any more – the presence Samantha and her team offer really makes a difference.

As one of the team says: “It’s very rewarding to cook for the young people and to get to know them. The obvious benefits they are getting from the social opportunity of eating together is lovely to see.”

If you would like to join the excellent and important work of YMCA DLG supporting young people, Samantha will be delighted to receive applications for more volunteers via the website www.ymcadlg.org

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