Raising Money for Safe@Last
The funds raised by Tony will be used to provide emergency accommodation for under 16 year olds who have run away from or been forced to leave home and are at risk of harm.
Tony's target figure of £100 000 will give us the additional funding that we need to run the project for one year.
There are currently only 6 refuge beds in the UK for children under 16.
This will be the only provision of its kind in the North of England.
The funds will keep many anxious children safe who currently, should they find themselves in this position, are extremely vulnerable.
If young people are not offered a safe place to stay they often resort to very risky survival strategies in order to survive: - prostitution, drugs, offending.
There are 129 000 overnight runaway incidents each year in the UK - this a figure of 1 in 9 of our children.
Over 3 000 of these are in South Yorkshire ¼ of whom are under 11 years old.
Evidence from our research "Running Away in South Yorkshire"
Quotes from Young People with experience of running away:
'I ran away because I found out that my mum was taking drugs and when I asked she turned around and shouted at me and put her fist to my face and pushed so hard. So I ran away because I couldn't tell her how she was making me feel.'
'I didn't get on with my parents and I didn't like the atmosphere in the household. I don't feel like my parents understand me and I don't get on with my step father.'
'Because I was arguing with my step father and he kept hitting me. I was too scared to tell my mum, so my mum asked me to leave for being stroppy and argumentative.'
'It was scary and I needed help.'
'They should have a place to stay so they aren't sleeping rough.'
'Make a place where people can go and stay overnight to calm down.'
'Set up shelters with people who will listen and not judge.'
'Give us somewhere to go and be safe.'
Quotes from professionals working with children at risk:
'A warm place to stay and some food so that you can have some space and thinking time. Where you can just walk through the door without having to call social services or fill in forms straight away. Where the young person can be settled, get warm and have some food, before having to provide information because of child protection issues.'
'There aren't really the services to address the issue and what there is, young people don't really know about them.'
'The whole area of working with young people and homelessness, in its broadest sense, is difficult enough for 16- to 18-year-olds and it's even more difficult for the under 16s.'
'I would like there to be a place for young people to go to that isn't 16 and up.'
'There is a need for walk-in emergency provision for young people or a contactable provision specifically aimed at young people with access to emergency accommodation.'
Donations should be sent by cheque and made payable to:
The SAFE@Last Gonnado Appeal
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