Julia & Hans Rausing donate £3 million to Centrepoint
Melanie May | 25 February 2022 | News
The £3 million donation is the largest single donation Centrepoint has received in its 52-year history.
It will support the development of Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme, which gives young people experiencing homelessness in London and Manchester a home and a job or an apprenticeship.
Centrepoint will use the donation to tackle the shortage of quality affordable homes. The charity aims to only charge a young person approximately one-third of their salary as rent. This would typically mean a 20-year-old young person in Manchester, earning minimum wage (currently £6.56 per hour) would pay around £350 per month to live in a self-contained home. However, Centrepoint’s intention is to work with ethical employers to ensure young people are earning above minimum wage, which would typically mean someone in London earning £18,000 per year would pay around £500 per month to live independently.
Since its formation, the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust has provided over 1,000 grants totalling more than £290 million. Their giving during the pandemic included the launch of a £10 million Charity Survival Fund, and an £8 million Youth Centre Recovery Fund.
Julia and Hans Rausing Trust said:
Advertisement
“We are delighted to announce our support for Centrepoint and its Independent Living Programme. Centrepoint’s ambition to end youth homelessness for the coming generation is a formidable task, but having seen the impact they have made on the lives of so many already, I have no doubt they will realise their ambition. It is an honour to extend our support.”
Sally Orlopp, Director of Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme, said:
“The difference this major donation will have on youth-homelessness in London and Greater Manchester is simply incalculable. It will go a long way in touching the lives of so many people and on behalf of Centrepoint I cannot emphasise our gratitude enough for what the Julia and Han Rausing Trust have enabled.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.