DE- is a bold, youth-led movement committed to empowering young people experiencing homelessness. We break down barriers, challenge perceptions, and amplify their voices - bringing awareness to the raw realities they face every day.
Your contributions will support the creation of the special shirt pieces, provide essential equipment for young visionary artists, and establish a dedicated space for youth to collaborate and build a community. This will help amplify their voices, engage audiences, and foster meaningful conversations to raise awareness.
Your support isn’t just a contribution - it’s a lifeline, a force for transformation. While others close their doors to young people in need, DE- builds new ones. We create a community that sees, understands, and delivers the precise support necessary to change lives and shape brighter futures.
If Not Now, When?
136,000 young people approached their council as homeless last year. This is only the recorded figures but many fall through the cracks.
Homelessness is often misunderstood. It goes beyond simply lacking a roof over one’s head. Many young people navigate instability by couch-surfing or staying with friends, all while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy in their daily lives. A conceivable series of events that can easily happen to any one of us, homelessness does not have one face; leaving most people virtually invisible.
This cannot be ignored; young people are not adequately supported during an already challenging transition to adulthood. They may be pushed into homelessness due to violence, abuse and trauma at home or in the care or criminal justice system. Required to be socially and financially independent for the first time, they face lower pay and minimum wage jobs in the labour markets, increasing their risk of poverty. With young people disproportionately affected by both the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, action is required now to avoid long term societal repercussions.
Even a small contribution can make a significant impact. Collectively, we can transform lives.