Helping The Homeless

The Youth Accommodation Support scheme (YAS) runs in conjunction with the one-year-old Youth Skills Project.

The project has sites in Littlehampton and Worthing, as well as in Bognor Regis.

Project leader Niall Read, 39, is one of three full-time workers based at The Information Shop, Worthing, The Flintstone Centre, Littlehampton, and Friends Meeting House, Bognor, who are there to help young people get back on the right tracks for a better future.

He said: "It s doing really well, and we ve been able to help so many youngsters already."

The new project focuses on young people in the 16 to 24 age group who are insecurely housed, homeless or in temporary accommodation.

Two youngsters have just received interview dates for better housing just a week after speaking to Mark.

Running side by side, the two projects also deal with issues like employment, health, training and education, drug or alcohol abuse and life skills.

Within the project, a mentoring scheme is also operating, where volunteers take on one person for a year and act as a social guide for them.

Each mentor is given full training, is police-checked and will meet their youngster weekly.

Find out more in the Gazette, January 10.