Ben celebrates 20 years of preventing young homelessness

The same cannot be said two decades later, he points out, with the issue of homelessness now plain to see on streets in both Sheffield and Rotherham every day.

But thanks to the dedication of the Roundabout team and the expansion of its services, none of those people will fall into the age group supported by the charity.

“The thing I am most proud of is that we don’t have anybody sleeping rough under the age of 25 and that’s because of Roundabout’s work,” he says.

Founded in Sheffield in 1977, Roundabout supports young people aged 16 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The charity works with more than 350 young people every day, providing shelter, support and life skills to help them gain independence.

It’s hostel, located near London Road provides safe accommodation for up to 27 young people at any one time.

But central to Roundabout’s philosophy is its strongly commitment to preventing young people in Sheffield and Rotherham from becoming homeless in the first place.

The charity’s Homeless Prevention Service offers advice and support to young people who are at risk of becoming homeless due to family relationship breakdown and other services - including mediation and Peer Education - all work towards the common goal of keep young people in a safe environment.

Roundabout’s recent annual Impact Report revealed that 1,245 young people in Sheffield and Rotherham were supported by that range of services in the 2023/24 period.

And a further 2,107 school students received a vital insight into the issues surrounding youth homelessness through the charity’s Peer Education programme, where young people who have been supported by Roundabout share their personal experiences.

For Ben, those statistics demonstrate that the need for Roundabout is growing daily and reflects a world very different to the sector he first worked in 30 years ago.

“My first job in homelessness and housing was in 1995 working for Manchester City Council in a big 60 bed city centre hostel,” he recalls.

“I was 24 years old and having grown up in any inner-city Manchester, I thought I knew it all, though after just one day of working in that hostel I knew I certainly didn’t!”

He next moved on to work in London, working with rough sleepers in the capital, before returning north to a post with the St Anne’s Community Services Hostel in Woodhouse.

When the job of Roundabout Chief Executive became available, however, he decided to he should apply, even if he did tell the interview panel that he’d probably stay for only five years.

“The thing I liked most about Roundabout was that it was always renowned for involving young people in decisions, helping young people to have a voice, which was ahead of its time,” he says.

And as he celebrates his 20th anniversary, its quite obvious that the five-year plan has long been abandoned.

“Roundabout is a great organisation and every year is a great challenge,” he explains.

“It has grown so much and my job is not the same as it was when I started - every week is different.

“You get the satisfaction of helping young people - that’s one of the things that keeps me going - and I like that I still have communication with the young people we support.

“I can go to our our Homeless Prevention Service and meet young people and have interaction and offer help and advice.

“It wasn’t that long ago that I was there when a young woman came in who had been sleeping rough.

“She needed accommodation that day and we had a flat that became available that day that we were - it’s offering that sort of help that makes it all seem worthwhile.”

That one anecdote, however, is representative of the growing number of people now approaching Roundabout every day - a number that increases all the time.

The reasons for this are many - the continuing cost of living crisis, the legacy of the pandemic, a rise in domestic abuse and the increase in homelessness nationally are all contributing factors which go to creating a tense atmosphere that is often the earliest indicator of the problems that lead to a young person leaving home.

And that’s where the whole range of Roundabout services become effective, taking the steps that might prevent a young person leaving a difficult home situation with no idea of what will happen once they have gone.

“At Roundabout, we understand the importance of providing a high level of tailored support to our young people and helping them reach their full potential,” Ben says.

“That's why we've developed our range of services that meet the unique needs of each individual and our aim is to provide an inclusive and dynamic environment, where all our young people can access the support they need to achieve a brighter future.

“Our Homeless Prevention service, which we launched in 2014, was a game changer, a front line service for homeless young people.

“Our mediation service was funded through Children In Need in 2014 and then our Talk It Out service has been huge - and it’s all about stopping young people leaving home.”

Another vital tool is the Peer Education Service, which was developed by Deputy Chief Executive Tracey Jackson and sees young people who have themselves been through the Roundabout system sharing their own stories and experiences with secondary school pupils.

Very recently, the Upstream Project - an early intervention schools-based project designed to reach young people well before they are at risk of homelessness - was launched with the support of the Royal Foundation’s Homewards programme.

There’s also Rapid Rehousing, a specialist team made up of dedicated workers who actively go out into the community, identify homeless young people who need intensive support and help them to access accommodation and develop their long term living skills.

Ben himself is at the heart of the national homelessness debate, working of focus groups and advising the government on its new homelessness strategy, which is expected to be published before the end of the year.

“We need to focus on prevention because if we can solve the issues that lead to young people being homeless, we can save lives and money,” he points out.

At the same time, though, Ben adds: “Part of the sadness of my career is that things have got worse.

“When I started here in 2005 there was no rough sleeping at all in Sheffield, there was investment from government in homelessness which got it to a minimum.

“For whatever reason, there isn’t that investment in all sorts of services, which means all sorts of people now need our services and Roundabout supports more people than ever before.”

Adding to that number is the increase in young people fleeing war and conflict as refugees and who are now being directed towards Roundabout and the charity’s policy is clear - a young person in danger of homelessness qualifies for support no matter what their back story.

It all adds up to a service that is bigger and much more complex than the one Ben joined 20 years ago and there is still much more to be done.

“You can’t predict the future but I have no plans to leave,” he insists, as he says a priority now is one of consolidation.

“We have grown so much and so quickly over the last few years, we have expanded in Rotherham and the number we are supporting has doubled in the last three or four years and now we need to catch up internally,” he says.

Then, of course, there is the issue of funding, not just through grant aid and the government but also through the many events - everything from the annual Sleep Out to the hugely popular Night at the Musicals - that encourages local businesses and individuals to give their support.

“We have massive shortfalls in funding so without donations we couldn’t do what we do,” he admits.

“It is those donations and that support that helps us stop young people sleeping rough.”

To find out more about Roundabout and its full range of services visit www.roundabouthomeless.org