Mary Seacole Housing Association up against big fund cuts

WHEN things go wrong in life, the first port of call for many of us is our immediate family. But what happens if they are not there? Who do we turn to if we have no-else who can help?

In 1986 the Mary Seacole Housing Association was formed with the aim of providing an answer to that question. Former Labour councillor Desline Stewart wanted to support young Caribbean teenagers who turned to her after they fell out with their families.

Since then Mary Seacole has expanded its remit and is now helping hundreds of youngsters find their feet and turn their lives around.

However, as the association looks forward to its 30th year of existence, it faces a cut in funding and a lack of affordable properties to house its clients.

Chief executive Audrey Lewis, who has been with Mary Seacole for 20 years, said: “When I first came into this job it was very, very difficult. The funding was very limited and we only operated on housing benefit.

“When we had to find things like furniture for the houses we had to scour second-hand shops. In 2003 the government’s Supporting People programme brought funding and what happened was that, for the first time, we were paid for the job were doing with these young people, which is a specialist job.”

Mary Seacole provides 60 beds in different properties to individuals in need of support work.

Residents are moved through three stages where they are taught life skills.

Chairman Tom Shaw, who is also a senior Labour councillor in the town, said the association was experiencing a ‘blockage’ as people who are ready to leave cannot afford the rents.

He said: “When people have worked hard to get to stage three, they find the rents are too high.

“The idea is that when they have reached that level they then move on but that’s our biggest challenge at the moment.”

Audrey added: “We have targets we have to meet with Luton Borough Council but the difficulty is that we will not be able to meet those targets and if we do not then we lose funding.

“We have young people who need to move on but we have nowhere for them to go. We have an officer meeting private landlords but some do not want to take young people on housing benefit and as time goes on, that is blocking things up.”

However, despite the challenges facing the association, Audrey said the ‘fantastic’ staff at the association continue to provide a crucial service.

She said: “There is not a day which goes by where our staff go through town and someone doesn’t come up to say thank you.

“It’s an absolute privilege to work in this housing association and helping to affect change in young people’s lives. They are the next generation and they need all the help they can get to achieve their goals.”

Mary Seacole can be contacted on 01582 415651 or [email protected]