Depaul UK, which runs the London Youth Hub in partnership with New Horizon Youth Centre, has purchased the building from which the service operates, securing the future of a vital emergency service that has supported almost 400 young people on their journeys away from homelessness.
The purchase was made possible by a £1 million grant from The Julia Rausing Trust, allowing Depaul UK to keep the unique service running and save it from closure.
The London Youth Hub, funded by the Greater London Authority and supported by the Mayor of London, provides 26 emergency bed spaces for people aged 18 to 24 who are sleeping rough or at imminent risk of doing so. It combines immediate safety with intensive, age-appropriate support and a planned route into longer-term accommodation.
Between April 2025 and March 2026, the Hub supported 106 young people, with 96 per cent not recorded as returning to rough sleeping within six months of moving on.
The purchase comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham launches a national drive to offer everyone sleeping rough a route off the streets by Christmas. Like the London Youth Hub, the Government programme recognises that emergency accommodation must be combined with support towards a longer-term home.
Alexia Murphy, CEO at Depaul UK, said:
“Without this purchase, London risked losing its only dedicated emergency accommodation service for young people. The Julia Rausing Trust has not simply helped us buy a building; it has protected a proven route away from the streets for hundreds of young Londoners.
“The last quarter’s CHAIN figures show a welcome 30 per cent fall in the number of 18 to 25-year-olds recorded sleeping rough in London between April and June 2026, compared with the same period last year. No single service can account for that progress, but the Hub is an important part of the capital’s response.
“That is why securing the Hub’s future is so important. It means young people in crisis will continue to have somewhere safe to go and a genuine opportunity to leave homelessness behind.”
Simon Fourmy, CEO of The Julia Rausing Trust, said:
“Preventing homelessness among young people is an important priority for The Julia Rausing Trust. Julia was passionate about helping people facing disadvantage and believed that timely support could help someone move out of crisis and change the course of their life. The London Youth Hub embodies that approach, combining immediate safety with practical, personalised support that helps young people find a route out of homelessness.
“We are delighted to help secure the future of this vital service and hope that many more young people will benefit from its support in the years ahead. As a Trust, we want to see more young people protected from homelessness before it becomes entrenched, so that a period of crisis does not define the rest of their lives.”
Meghan Roach, Interim Chief Executive at the New Horizon Youth Centre, said:
“Youth homelessness and rough sleeping is a specific problem that needs specific solutions. The Youth Hub is one such solution, and a vital and in-demand service. By working in partnership with Depaul UK we’re able to deliver sustainable, transformative outcomes, ending young people’s homelessness for good.
“As with all rough sleeping services, a room isn’t enough, young people also need the wrap-around support to prevent them entering the harmful cycle of homelessness and to set them up for positive independent living.
“We couldn’t be prouder to play a part in delivering that support and ending youth homelessness, one person at a time.”
The London Youth Hub aims to help young people move on to longer-term housing within 56 days. Depaul UK and New Horizon Youth Centre work with each resident to address their immediate needs, complete a housing assessment and develop a plan for securing suitable longer-term accommodation.
Young people also receive tailored support with mental health and wellbeing, education, employment, training and immigration advice.
The London Youth Hub began with a 15-month pilot in 2021. The current 26-bed service opened in 2022 and has since supported almost 400 young people.
