Glass room to show face of youth homelessness

The public will have the chance to 'see' the face of youth homelessness when volunteers live in West London live inside a 'glass box' furnished as the room of a hostel for homeless people this Thursday and Friday.

The room will be on display during the Hillingdon Arts Festival and volunteers are hoping that their two days living there will help raise funds for the local rent deposit scheme.

"Too many are hidden by homelessness," said West London YMCA, one of the homeless charities hosting the room.

Homeless charity Crisis estimates that there are 380,000 homeless people in the UK, whilst around a quarter of all single homeless people sleeping rough, or living in hostels or B&Bs are under the age of 25.

In addition to West London YMCA, the room has been put together by a number of homelessness agencies including Trinity Homeless Project, Solo and Navigator P3, who hope to raise awareness of the often unseen support available for homeless people.

Gurpreet Shinji, a young person who experienced homelessness said, "I had a very bad start to 2008; losing my job led to me being homeless and I could slowly see my life deteriorate. I was then accepted by a Christian housing association that gave me a home and supported me to rebuild my life.

"If it wasn't for them I probably would have been involved in a life of crime and drug abuse."

West London YMCA said: "We are calling for more awareness and seeking to raise money for a rent deposit scheme. With little money, hardly any affordable accommodation, and pressures from home which can make it impossible to stay, it is not surprising that young people make up the largest proportion of the homeless.

"A little money can go a lot further with a rent deposit scheme, helping young people to move into secured tenancy."