Stories of our impact
A sleeping partner
Helping Depaul UK provide emergency accommodation for young people
For young people forced to leave home but with nowhere to turn, the first 48 hours are critical. A warm, welcoming place to sleep could be the difference between safety and the streets.
Our partnership with the charity started in 2016 with the launch of our One Million Futures social impact strategy. Last year, with Depaul keen to expand its Nightstop service into new regions, a data science team from our Risk Analytics practice ran a pro bono heat-mapping initiative and identified Manchester as the area most in need. Nightstop, provides safe emergency accommodation for homeless youths in the homes of the charity’s volunteers.
This data we provided helped Depaul secure valuable government funding. And as part of a second pro bono project, colleagues from our Manchester Real Estate office stepped in to find somewhere to house both the new service and a youth centre for those already benefiting from the charity’s work.
Read more stories about how we make a positive impact on society in our 2019 Impact Report.
Location, location, location
Headed up by Deloitte Cities Adviser Cathy Wignall, the team started the property search in June. Despite a limited budget, Depaul needed plenty of space near the buzz of Manchester’s centre. Finding a commercial landlord that could provide everything they wanted was unlikely.
After exhausting a list of options, they heard about an address on busy Oxford Road, one of the main routes into the city. St Peter’s House, Manchester University’s chaplaincy building, ticked all the boxes.
Depaul’s purpose complemented the chaplaincy’s own volunteering programmes and fitted with its ethos of St Peter’s House being a place for ‘curiosity, encounter and gift’. The lease was signed in September 2017 and the service was launched in November. Its youth centre – the Hub – opened in April.
In 2017:
11,070 bed-nights were provided by Depaul UK
542 households opened their doors to young people
The power of partnership
Our work with the charity and the collaboration between service lines has been a real success. “It’s been a privilege to be able to use my team’s professional skills to support Depaul in finding their new business location,” says Cathy. “It’s great to see it so well placed – excellent visibility to further develop awareness for their cause.”
Less than a month after opening, 15 young people were regularly visiting the Hub. Nick Sinclair, Associate Director – Community Engagement for Depaul UK, adds: “Everything’s going very well and the young people have been involved in designing the youth centre; they’ve really turned it into their own space. Without Cathy and her team, we wouldn’t have found this place – it’s perfect.”
Read more stories about how we’re trying to make a positive impact on society in our 2019 Impact Report.
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