x
RECEIVE BUSINESS MK FREE TO YOUR DOOR EACH MONTH, COURTESY OF ROYAL MAIL.
* indicates required

YMCA celebrates £0.5m grant from National Lottery

ITS WORK with homeless young people has received a massive boost after the homeless charity YMCA Milton Keynes received just under £0.5 million in National Lottery funding.

The charity, whose new campus housing up to 199 young people is due to open early next year, has been awarded £498,849 to support its work. The charity will use the money over the next three years to fund staff and services to improve the well-being of its residents, including the recruitment of three personal development coaches and a significant resident activities budget.

YMCA Milton Keynes has helped over 10,000 young people since it opened its doors in 1981. The charity’s current site is no longer fit for purpose, it says, so it has started construction of a new £19 million campus. 

Chief executive Simon Green said: “We are delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to press on with our plans to broaden the range of support and opportunities available to young people here in Milton Keynes.”

The new campus will provide affordable accommodation, a pathway of support including training and employment opportunities, well-being services and a number of social enterprises, including a café and a nursery that will provide its residents with work experience and employment opportunities.

The National Lottery grant will focus on supporting 225 young people over a three-year period with mental and physical health, employment, education and training giving them access to a sustainable future. Each will be tracked through monitoring mechanisms and short- and long-term outcomes. This will show how the services delivered contribute to a chain of results leading to the intended outcomes.

Mr Green said: “This grant is vital as it enables us to deliver the dedicated support, activities and training needed to enable our young people to achieve their full potential.”


More from Milton Keynes:

More charity articles: