About the Organisation
YMCA Milton Keynes provides emergency accommodation and supported housing to people aged 18-35. As well as providing a safe place to stay, we also provide a range of support services including a varied activities programme and a dedicated employment service. We exist to support young people to fulfil their potential, delivering all our services from an asset-based perspective. We have been delivering housing services in Milton Keynes since 1981. In March 2020, we moved into our purpose-built £18.3 million campus. This enabled us to provide a far superior level of accommodation and support and was established to help meet the immense demand on our services, as a result of the youth housing crisis facing Milton Keynes.
Over the last two years we have settled into life in our new campus in central Milton Keynes, providing our three-stage accommodation pathway. One of our greatest achievements is the support framework we have developed for the young people who live with us, which focuses on delivering asset-based support. The positive, proactive culture we have developed has achieved fantastic results.
This includes:
- Housing over 530 in the last two years
- Supporting 244 young people into employment
- Enabling 209 young people to have a positive move-on.
In 2024, we will also officially re-launch charitable services in Northamptonshire with a new project for young people aged over 18 who are leaving care.
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The opening of their new campus in 2020, saw YMCA Milton Keynes establishing a new social enterprise café (Homeground), based on the premises. This provided employment opportunities for their residents as well as generating income for the charity.
They have recently and reluctantly taken the difficult decision to close the café over the summer as it was making a significant loss for the charity. The business plan for the charity was written some time ago and unforeseen circumstances, including the Covid-19 pandemic, have meant that it is no longer fit for purpose.
The charity is now at a stage where they would like to reopen the café and would welcome pro bono support with the following:
- Establishing a new business plan and gaining investment advice from individuals with experience of the retail and hospitality sector to help ensure a viable business.
- Development of a communications strategy to support the opening and ongoing success of the café, to include increased social media presence and engagement with the local community.
Timeline
ASAP