Boost Up

Our vision

“I cannot walk upon your legs, or you upon mine. I cannot breathe for you, or you for me; I must breathe for myself.” Frederick Douglass 

We want to see a London in which young, homeless people are not priced out of their city in order to access housing.

We want to see them work hard for their success, not having to rely on the indefinite support of the state, but instead reaching financial independence born from their labour.

We want them to be able to say to themselves one day that they helped build their city, that they are a part of its ongoing narrative, and that they walk upon their own legs, that they are breathe for themselves.

Our work

Boost Up is a new London based youth homelessness charity that recognises that the circumstances of birth are unequal. That this more than often dictates your opportunity in life. There are few greater examples of this than access to housing. 

Too many young people in this city experience homelessness due to the lack of financial means that will allow them to afford the market rent for housing. While some are graced with the economic conditions that allow them to rely on the financial gifts of their family to afford to rent in London, those without can find themselves completely priced out. This is especially the case for those who are younger, who are only entitled to a very low level of Government Benefits due to their age. 

Our organisation’s role is to address this in part through using funds to provide a ‘Boost Up’, a time limited monthly payment that covers the disparity between the housing benefit rate and the market rate, allowing those who normally lack financial support to afford to rent in this city. We then work with that young person who has been housed through the Boost Up to get them into work, off benefits, and reaching financial independence.

Think of it like the bank of Mum and Dad, but this time provided to those who lack it.