LAST week saw the opening of The Foyer in Kidderminster’s Bromsgrove Street. The Foyer is part of the St Basil’s charity, providing accommodation to homeless youngsters.

St Basil’s works alongside another local charity, Kidderminster Night Stop, that finds emergency accommodation for children and young adults who would find themselves otherwise sleeping on the street.

There are many reasons why youngsters may find themselves temporarily or permanently homeless.

The most frequent reason will be as a result of a family breakdown – something that is often completely outside their control. But it can also be due to one or other parent getting a new partner; or a falling out with siblings; or abuse problems at home; or a whole host of other reasons.

In every case, it is a tragedy that someone who relies on the security of their home suddenly finds themselves, potentially, destitute.

St Basil’s and Kidderminster Night Stop are two charities that I feel very strongly about. It is hard to imagine what it must be like when the secu- View from Westminster rity of your home collapses and you have to sleep on the street to find safety. Of course, the street is absolutely not the safest place to be and that is why these two charities are so important.

A youngster leaving home is probably at their most impressionable.

The decisions they make will shape the whole of their lives. If they succumb to desperation they may well find themselves reliant on substance abuse. I see the outcome of this when I spend a morning at Kidderminster Magistrates Court from time to time, as people of all ages come through as petty criminals seeking money to fund more and more tragic lives. They may also find themselves in chaotic and difficult relationships. Their life chances are dismal.

Or they can be helped, in a crisis, by Night Stop, and in the longer term, more stable footing, by St Basil’s. These two charities target crisis periods in young peoples’ lives. If they are successful, they can transform people who may have been dysfunctional into proper functioning adults – adults who will be able to raise successful families of their own.

CONTACT YOUR MP

  • Email: mark.garnier.mp@parliament.uk
  • Telephone: 020 7219 7198 or 01562 746771
  • Write: 9a Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU, or House of Commons, Westminster, London