Helping Tackle Youth Homelessness, MSD awards $100,000 USD grant to New Horizon Youth Centre in London
15 January 2022
Neighbour of Choice, our annual global community grants programme, seeks to support the work of local non-profits who are committed to improving the wellbeing of the communities we serve.
MSD in the UK is passionate about the role we can play in connecting with and supporting important initiatives within the city. We are proud to announce that our Neighbour of Choice for 2021/2022 is New Horizon Youth Centre, an organisation dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people experiencing homelessness in the capital.
Every year, thousands of young people become homeless due to reasons including family breakdown or experiences of violence and domestic abuse. The wider impact of homelessness on young people is greater than just a lack of housing, with many of those affected seeking shelter in often unsafe conditions, turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms or experiencing negative effects on their mental health and wellbeing. The emergence of Covid-19 has only exacerbated this issue, with London seeing homelessness amongst 16–25-year-olds increase by 47% since the pandemic began.
New Horizon Youth Centre therefore exists to combat both youth homelessness as a whole and its effects on those impacted by it. Operating both online and in-person at their Kings Cross drop-in centre, the initiative aims to help young people by offering a holistic ‘one stop shop’ service which caters to the individual’s specific needs, whether this be assisting them with finding shelter, improving their economic circumstances, or offering mental health and wellbeing support. Having been committed to the fight against youth homelessness for 53 years, New Horizons was identified as one of the Big Issue Foundation’s Change Makers and awarded the London Youth Employability Award in 2019.
HR Director for MSD in the UK, Susannah Hodgson, said:
“MSD is delighted to have awarded New Horizon Youth Centre a grant of $100,000 USD, as our 2021/2022 Neighbour of Choice in London. We admire the fantastic work that they do to tackle youth homelessness, whilst seeking to improve the mental health and wellbeing of hundreds of young people aged 16 – 24. We remain committed to our role in the community through listening, and by connecting with and supporting the impactful work of our valued partners, such as New Horizons Youth Centre.”
Learn more about the work of New Horizon Youth Centre here.
GB-NON-05431 | Date of Preparation January 2022