Who we are
Background
End Youth Homelessness Cymru first began as a coalition of Welsh homelessness charities determined to change a system that saw vulnerable children placed in temporary, B&B accommodation, often alongside adults with substance use issues or who had been through the criminal justice system. The campaign was a success and statutory guidance was changed to improve the way local authorities approach housing young people.
The coalition decided that the momentum from a campaign, which had attracted huge popular support, should be carried forward. Those involved had, for too long, seen homelessness amongst young people rising and the systems designed to prevent it failing: action was required.
End Youth Homelessness Cymru launched in 2017 with the support of our patron, Michael Sheen, and then First Minister, Carwyn Jones, who stated:
“We believe we have a wonderful opportunity here in Wales to deliver real change. If we can put a man on the moon, we can surely end youth homelessness in Wales.”
The Coalition set out at its launch our plan to end youth homelessness in Wales within 10 years, since when we have seen a major shift in the way the issue is viewed and addressed.
Our Partners
The partners below are members of EYHC’s Steering Group and represent the breadth of experience and areas of specialism required to end youth homelessness. Wherever we can, we invite other partners who can contribute to specialist task-groups (e.g. TGP Cymru, who have supported with our work on Youth Homelessness and Care, or Tai Pawb, who we work with on the issue of LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness). By going beyond the ‘usual suspects’ in our engagement, we ensure that we have a rounded understanding of the systems that so often fail to prevent young people from becoming homeless.
Our Team
Frances Beecher
Chair
Frances is the Chair of End Youth Homelessness Cymru and the Chief Executive of Llamau, Wales’ leading young people and women’s homeless charity. Llamau works across Wales and with over 8,600 disenfranchised and vulnerable young people and women a year. Frances was the founder and first Chair of Cymorth Cymru, Wales’ umbrella body for organisations working with vulnerable people in Wales. Frances is a board member of housing equality charity Tai Pawb, a board member of the Institute for Welsh Affairs and also serves on the Advisory Panel of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.
By profession Frances Beecher is a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist and she has an extensive history of working directly to support people as a counsellor, outreach worker or in women’s refuges.
Dr Peter Mackie
Vice-Chair
Dr Peter Mackie is a Reader at Cardiff University, in the School of Geography and Planning. Peter has a particular research interest in the housing experiences and pathways of vulnerable people. Peter has particularly focused his research on youth housing and homelessness, a field in which he has sought to understand the experiences of young people from their perspectives. He is also increasingly engaged in data linkage with administrative data sets. Recent work includes the review of homelessness legislation in Wales, as well as being a driving force on the development of Upstream Cymru, while acting as a link to partners working on the project in Canada, Australia and the USA. Peter has also been a board member at Llamau since 2009.
Bill Rowlands
Project Manager
Bill leads on the research and policy outcomes of End Youth Homelessness Cymru, alongside supporting and promoting the innovative interventions that have been developed to prevent youth homelessness. Bill holds an MSc in Public Policy and prior to joining EYHC, worked as the Project Officer for the Housing Support Network. He is a board member of Tai Pawb, a Welsh charity which offers committed to advancing equality and social justice in Wales.
Bill can be contacted on: billrowlands@llamau.org.uk
Monika Conti
Policy and Research Officer
Monika joined EYHC in November 2021. Her role will primarily focus on the production of research into youth homelessness and supporting Bill to implement the Roadmap to Ending Youth Homelessness. Previous to the role Monika completed an MSc in International Social and Public Policy from The London School of Economics and worked for an education start up. She has a keen interest in reducing youth disadvantage, mental health and participatory methods. Last year Monika worked on a research project which used art-based participatory methods to co-create the first ever graphic novel and digital tool on student mental health and materiality. She looks forward to using both her academic and professional knowledge and lived experiences of disadvantage to make a difference in the lives of young people in Wales.
If you have any questions, or would like to collaborate together, you can contact Monika on: Monikaconti@llamau.org.uk
Funders
EYHC is grateful to the following organisations for their support
