Pioneering Pilot to Lift People out of Poverty
Image: YWCA Yorkshire Manager Claire Harding and Sheffield Foyer Manager, Samantha Mobbs
YWCA Yorkshire, in partnership with The Sheffield Foyer, has launched a pilot scheme to support young people living in supported housing, into work and training.
Future Forward is a nine-month pilot that will directly support 16 people aged 16-25 out of financial hardship and into the workplace, smashing through barriers to employment by removing the risk of losing housing benefits and wrap around support.
For a young person with high support needs, the targeted intervention could revolutionise their living situation, health, wellbeing and earning potential. Opening opportunities to grow income, skills and career prospects. The pilot scheme aims to produce data to evidence the social and economic benefits that come when people are empowered out of unemployment and into a brighter future.
The scheme, which runs from 1st July 2025 to 31st March 2026, will specifically support young people living in YWCA Yorkshire’s Peile House and Guinness Partnership’s Sheffield Foyer. Grant funding has been awarded by Opportunity Sheffield and the Homewards Fund. Other supporters include the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), who will be providing Work Coaches for young people and Sheffield City Council’s Revenues and Benefits Policy and Support Team, who will be guiding people through their housing benefit applications.
The programme will directly address the financial barriers that prevent supported housing residents from entering work due to unaffordable costs when housing benefits cease. This is particularly stark in the supported housing sector, where the wrap-around cost for people escaping homelessness, abusive relationships and recovering from trauma, increase the overall rental charge significantly. Grant funding will be used to temporarily subsidise the support charge element of the rent, making employment financially viable for people in supported accommodation, levelling the playing field with other young people, while maintaining access to crucial support services.
Additionally, grants of £1000 will help young people who have accessed the scheme transition to independent living, addressing furniture poverty and setup costs of their new home.
YWCA Yorkshire Project Manager, Claire Harding, said: “We’re incredibly proud to launch Future Forward alongside our delivery partners and supporters. This funding from Opportunity Shefield and Homewards represents more than just financial backing — it tells young people living in supported housing that we understand the challenge they face, and that we are looking for solutions that work for them, not against them. We plan to make that point very clearly. We know that our young people are not reaching their full potential because they simply can’t access employment and training opportunities without their rent and support packages becoming unaffordable. By removing this financial penalty, we can track the outcomes and make a case for systems change.”
Young people accessing the support will receive mentoring, life skills training, and dedicated DWP Work Coach support throughout their employment transition.
Sheffield Foyer Manager, Samantha Mobbs, said, “People living in supported accommodation face barriers to employment that are unique to this particular group. The higher rents which are needed to support them into independent living means that, for many, full-time work is not an affordable option. It’s such a shame to deny young people the opportunity to become financially independent and follow their chosen career paths. What message does that give? This funding will help us to bridge the gap between dependence and independence and allow us to encourage and support young people to follow their dreams.”