Funded in 2010 & 2011
Based in Hampshire
Step by Step works with young homeless people between 16 and 25. The charity helps them to fulfill their potential through a structured combination of services including accommodation, training, development and counseling. It gives them the opportunities that can lead to independent living, through a ‘tough love’ combination of individual advice and motivation, insistence on clear standards of acceptable behavior, and the provision of a range of support and training schemes.
Since it began in 1991, Step by Step has grown to the point where it now supports 41 homeless young people in residential accommodation, and another 30+ in supportive lodgings with carefully-vetted local families.
Michael Varah believed that the work being done at Step by Step makes a real difference to the lives of young people. That is why the MVMF Trustees were delighted to award Step by Step £2,400 in April 2010 to contribute towards the support and development of the Education to Employment programme. This supports young people to develop vital skills that are needed in order to successfully re-enter education, or to find and sustain employment.
In total, the Employment to Education programme supported 53 young people to progress from NEET to EET between April 2010 and March 2011. We were also delighted to introduce the work of Step by Step to the Schutz Engel Trust and so broker a far more substantial donation that, alongside our match funding, made the Education into Employment project happen.
In August 2011, the Trustees approved another grant of £2,900 to Step by Step for a pilot project to train eight young people to be client ambassadors for the charity across one year. The aim is to exploit the powerful effects of positive peer influence – so important at this time of social unrest – whilst supporting the client ambassadors to learn new skills and develop confidence and self esteem from the work they are doing.
S is 24; due to a family breakdown he left school early and did not gain any GCSEs. He began to work as a cleaner but he had always wanted to become a nurse. S sort support from the E&E programmes to help him gain employment and look into completing his GCSEs. Recently S gained fulltime employment at a residence home for the elderly where he will be studying for his NVQ level 2 in Health and Social Care. He has also recently attended an interview for Guildford College where next year, alongside his work, he will undertake an Access to Nursing course so that he will be able to attend University in 2013 and train as a Nurse.
