Torbay Council warned it may have to hand housing money back

'It would be an absolute tragedy'

A charity working with vulnerable young people in Devon has warned that millions of pounds in government money may have to be returned if local councils don’t provide more housing.

Torbay Council has been given £4 million to spend on providing homes for care leavers in the bay.

But although it has agreed to a plan from YMCA Exeter to turn the Paignton Sea Anglers Club building overlooking the harbour into homes for eight people, it is still well short of its targets.

It recently turned down a similar application in nearby Sands Road.

The YMCA says that unless the council can provide 36 new places for young people in the bay by the end of March, it will have to give the money back.

“It would be an absolute tragedy for this money to have to be returned back to the government,” said Cllr Swithin Long (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe). “It would be a double failure, turning money away and not improving services for young people which will help turn their lives around.”  

The bay has five times the national average of children and young people in care or leavbing the care system, with a 42 per cent increase since 2011. Council policies say there is an urgent need to create independent living and move-on accommodation options for young people coming out of the care system.

But the planning committee recently rejected a separate proposal from the YMCA to turn a guest house and holiday flatlets in Sands Road, Paignton into 18 homes for local young people.

Si Johns, joint CEO of YMCA Exeter, said: “We currently provide supported housing to more than 100 young people every year. They work in hospitality, healthcare, social care, accountancy, IT, retail and more.

“They volunteer and take part in training and development. These are young people who just need a supportive, inclusive and energising community where they can truly belong, contribute and thrive.”

Among the people taking part in the event in Victoria Park was 31-year-old Andy Fletcher, who was in care from the age of eight to 18 and now lives in YMCA supported housing.

“I’d honestly be dead without YMCA Exeter,” he said. “My journey has been about maturing as a person. Today I can look back and see the difference in my life.”