At BYHP we work with hundreds of young people each year who have been thrust into that world very early and are completely unprepared. They are also forced to face additional challenges like family breakdown, homelessness or mental health problems.
 
These young people must face their challenges head on every day, often with very different fears to those that most of us experience. 
 
We have at least two young people who have a fear of public transport; it is the fear of the unknown, of being on a bus or train and not sure where they have to alight, fearful of other passengers and crowds. 

​BYHP offers an employability programme called “Unlocking Potential” which takes young people aged 16 to 25 (classified as “NEETs” - Not in Education, Employment or Training) with limited opportunities, aspirations and education and helps them discover a passion for learning and self-development which mostly results in employment, training or further learning opportunities.
 
By working with these young people we have discovered that they often have fears which prevent them moving forward. Their personal struggles are often with confidence, fear of attending a job interview, using public transport, of speaking in public; all of which can provoke great anxiety.
 
To try to get people to understand the sort of fears our young people face day in day out and in order to raise funds to help these young people overcome those fears, BYHP is challenging its supporters to come forward and “Face Your Fears for BYHP” gaining sponsorship to confront their own particular fears.

If you would like to “Face Your Fears for BYHP” please contact Linda.Slide@BYHP.org.uk

If you or someone you know could benefit from BYHP’s help please contact us for more information:
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01295 259 442
2 Chandos Close, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 4TL
enquiries@byhp.org.uk
​counselling@byhp.org.uk

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​I was reminded last week of the importance for us all to be just that little bit kinder to one another.  I was attending a Dementia Friends awareness session, aimed at changing people’s perception of this condition and they emphasised how important it is to be kind.  Imagine the scenario for an elderly person, perhaps struggling at the till to find her purse to pay for groceries with a queue behind her.

​The major cause of youth homelessness continues to be a result of the breakdown in family relationships with either parents or step-parents.  Sometimes it is hard to decide which came first; did the mental ill health such as depression or anxiety come first, leading to confrontation and arguments at home or did it come as a result of long term issues at home.  Either way, the number is on the increase and here at BYHP, we work to try to repair broken relationships and keep young people safely housed.  Accommodation does not just act as a roof over someone’s head; it also provides a range of other benefits such as social inclusion, potential for employment and security.  We have a professional team of Counsellors and Family Mediators who support young people and their families, supporting them with accessing mental health services when they most need someone to turn to.

Everyone deserves a safe and stable place to live; being homeless can mean sleeping on the streets, sleeping on other people’s sofas or floors, or staying in places that are unsafe.  It means not knowing where you are going to rest your head from one day to the next, feeling vulnerable and not in control of your own life.  

Statistically (Crisis 2012), at the ages of 16-24, homeless people are at least twice as likely to die as their housed contemporaries with an average life expectancy which doesn’t reach beyond 47.  It is of no surprise to realise that life as a homeless person will create mental disease as life is a continual struggle with no safety net to fall back on and no social network to ask for support; the forgotten and invisible homeless.

If you or someone you know could benefit from BYHP’s help please contact us for more information. 
01295 259 442
2 Chandos Close
Banbury
Oxfordshire
OX16 4TL
counselling@byhp.org.uk