akt Emergency Winter Appeal

From Gary Wilson, Fundraising Officer at akt

winter pathways emergency appeal

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An emergency fundraising appeal, helping lgbtq+ young people to navigate the rising cost of living this winter.

The rising cost of living is affecting all of us, with many people struggling to pay bills and live comfortably. Among the most severely impacted by the crisis are the LGBTQ+ young people we support every day. 

This year, akt has seen the terms 'family' and 'out' come up again and again in communications from the young people we support, which underlines the most common concerns within the community. With the festive period approaching, along with the ongoing financial strain felt by many households, we know this will be a period of additional stress and discomfort for many LGBTQ+ young people. 

During the cost of living crisis, akt’s caseworkers have seen first-hand the growing need for our support services. In the last 3 years alone, we saw a 58% increase in the number of young people needing our help. We anticipate that this will rise to 400 young people over the next 6 months – levels not seen since the early months of the pandemic in April 2020.

akt’s Rainbow Starter Packs, Emergency Support Packs and Emergency Accommodation Support Packs – some of our most common support pathways – have all increased in cost. The average cost for an Emergency Accommodation support pack has risen by 111% in the last 12 months alone, essentially meaning we are able to do less today than with the same funding we received a year ago. This is expected to continue over the coming months, and we need extra support to ensure young people make their way out of hostile and unsafe environments and into secure accommodation and sustained independence. 

We must continue to address the needs of LGBTQ+ young people, while keeping up with the increased demand for our services and navigating the ever-rising cost of our own service provision, and we are asking for your help. 

We know that it can be difficult to know how to support one another in the most effective way at times like this. By coming together as a community and making a donation to akt’s Winter Pathways emergency fundraising appeal, you’ll be helping us deliver the support and resources young people need to live safely, independently and comfortably. 

You can help us bolster how we support LGBTQ+ young people this winter by standing with us today and donating to our Winter Pathways appeal. 

Thank you

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