Who We Are
Depaul UK is a national homelessness charity with a focus on young people. We exist to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.
We prevent young people becoming homeless by providing shelter and support in a crisis, rebuilding family relationships, and teaching children about the risks and where to turn for help.
For those already facing homelessness, we offer expert housing advice, supported accommodation, and programmes of support that develop life-skills, resilience, and an achievable path to independence.
We do everything we can to provide a safe place to call home, a chance to thrive and a brighter future.
What We Believe
Our Mission is to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.
Our Vision is of a society in which everyone, across the world, has a place to call home and a stake in their community.
Our Values
You should use the bolded copy when describing our values in short form, and the full copy when describing our values in long form.
We celebrate the potential in people: We empower people affected by homelessness to make decisions, set goals, take risks and learn from their mistakes. We are equally committed to unlocking the skills of our volunteers and staff.
We put our words into action: We listen to clients, volunteers and staff and act on their ideas. We strive to influence others by having a strong public profile; and we take risks by working with clients who sometimes have challenging behaviour.
We take a wider role in civil society: We are an authoritative voice on homelessness, working in partnership with government, local authorities, the private sector, churches and other voluntary agencies to influence structural changes in society. We take a worldwide perspective and are committed to building global networks to support those affected by homelessness.
We believe in rights and responsibilities: We believe that everyone has fundamental rights as humans and within the law, and these must be upheld and safeguarded.
Our Story
In the 1980s, high unemployment and steep inflation was contributing to a shocking rise in youth homelessness across London. Thousands of young people were sleeping rough every night, with many areas notoriously dubbed “cardboard cities” due to the visible rise in street homelessness.
Appalled by the scenes playing out across the capital, a group of people came together to tackle the challenge head on. Led by Cardinal Basil Hume and Mark McGreevy OBE, in 1989 Depaul UK was born.
What began as a single housing project in North London soon expanded across London, Greater Manchester and the North East of England. Today, Depaul UK provides accommodation, prevention and support services to thousands of marginalised young people across the UK each year.
As our name suggests, the work of Depaul UK has been inspired by St. Vincent de Paul – a man who devoted his life to helping vast numbers of people throughout the 17th century. Vincent de Paul’s belief in the intrinsic worth of all people and his commitment to taking bold action remain central to our values today.
Depaul UK now forms part of a family of Depaul charities around the world. We each focus on the specific challenges in our own countries, but we’re united by our shared values and mission to end homelessness.
What We Do
Youth homelessness in the UK affects hundreds of thousands of people each year. Young people become homeless for a number of reasons, but the common causes are family breakdown, bereavement, mental health issues and a history of abuse. Because of this they have complex needs which require a package of bespoke support.
Each young person who arrives at Depaul UK has different challenges which they need to overcome to leave homelessness behind and achieve safety and stability in their lives. We offer emergency accommodation and longer term housing and accommodation services for young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Everything we do is led by the young person and the support is tailored to their needs. When relationships break down, we provide support and mediation to keep families together. Mental health issues like anxiety, depression and self-harm can be a barrier to moving forwards. We work with young people to plan and overcome these barriers at the start of their journey with us.
Our tailored support leads to greater resilience, improved confidence and increased aspirations. This in turn opens up opportunities for young people to access education, training and employment opportunities, which will give them independence and a sense of fulfilment.
Our prevention work in schools can prevent homelessness and help young people safely navigate future challenges and give them the best possible start in life.