The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) has donated £19,000 to charities in Devon and East Sussex.
A home and its grounds in Honiton in Devon run by charity SeeAbility are being refurbished following a £7,993 donation.
A further £11,000 is being used to fund specialist support from YMCA DownsLink Group – Youth Advice Centre in Brighton and Hove.
Daren King, head of tenancy deposit protection at the DPS, said: “The Deposit Protection Service has given over £200,000 to good causes since we established our charity fund in 2014.
“We believe that everyone has the right to live life to the full, and we were really excited to visit Devon to see how our donation is helping SeeAbility’s fantastic work.
“We’re also delighted to be supporting YMCA DownsLink Group – Youth Advice Centre’s fantastic work in helping LGBT young people find a home in Brighton and Hove.”
SeeAbility aims to support people with a combination of sight loss and visual impairment, learning difficulties and physical difficulties to reach their aspirations and has over 20 residential homes and supported living facilities across the south of England.
Rebecca Compton, partnership executive at SeeAbility, said: “The paved path that encircles the property in Honiton had become uneven, creating great difficulty for people with sight loss and wheel chair users.
“We’re really grateful to The DPS for this generous donation, which has helped us repair the path and undertake other vital improvements that will help our residents live independently.”
YMCA DownsLink Group – Youth Advice Centre is a “one-stop shop” for advice and information for young people aged 13-25 years old in the City of Brighton and Hove.
Julia Harrison, advice services manager at YMCA DownsLink Group – Youth Advice Centre, said: “LGBT young people account for 13% of the total number of clients accessing our housing service, with a 50% increase in transgender clients since April 2016.
“The DPS’ generous donation will help reduce youth homelessness and empower LGBT young people to be aware of their rights and responsibilities as tenants.”
Photo: (Right) Daren King with staff of YMCA DownsLink Group – Youth Advice.