The new Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Jonathan Glanz, has announced youth homelessness charity Centrepoint as his charity for the year.

Councillor Glanz visited Dean Street in Soho, where the charity was founded, to make the announcement and explained the important work Centrepoint and Westminster council’s outreach teams are doing for homeless young people.

Videos of the Lord Mayor of Westminster’s visit to Soho can be found on Westminster City Council’s YouTube channel:

Councillor Glanz hopes to raise an ambitious amount during his term in office for the charity, which provides accommodation, training, education and health and well-being support to homeless young people in the City of Westminster and across the capital.

The campaign comes at a hugely challenging time for Centrepoint which, like the majority of charities, is facing an unprecedented crisis in the wake of coronavirus. The charity has seen costs increase as they struggle to meet the urgent need to source PPE and other essential items, while losing a significant amount of fundraising income due the cancellation of events, individual donations and corporate partnerships. For the young people Centrepoint supports the pandemic has meant visitor bans and self-isolation policies for young people already at an increased risk of loneliness and anxiety. The charity also reports there has been an increase in the number of calls from vulnerable young people to the Centrepoint Helpline.

Centrepoint runs hostels across London supporting homeless young people into a job and a home. Between January and March 2019 an estimated 24,455 young people approached their local council in England because they were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, with over 3,500 of them in London alone.

Commenting on his decision to support Centrepoint as his chosen charity, Councillor Jonathan Glanz, said:

“Centrepoint has been supporting homeless young people in Westminster for over 50 years and I am hugely thankful for the work the charity has done. The homeless young people in Westminster need care and support and, by selecting Centrepoint as my chosen charity, I hope that we can leave a lasting legacy for the young people here.”

Seyi Obakin, Chief Executive of Centrepoint, said:

“I am honoured that the new Lord Mayor of Westminster has chosen Centrepoint as his charity for the year. The coronavirus pandemic has led to our young people needing an increased amount of support with their mental health and access to basic provisions that they cannot afford such as food parcels, hot meals, hand sanitisers. Hostel staff are having to rely on the kindness of small businesses and personal networks to keep hostels safe.

“Homeless young people need our help now more than ever before and with the support of the new Lord Mayor of Westminster, we hope to support vulnerable people to get through these testing times safely and to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of this pandemic.”

The Lord Mayor’s duties include supporting the city’s most diverse communities, celebrating the achievements of Westminster’s citizens, promoting Westminster locally, nationally and internationally and representing Westminster at important civic and ceremonial events.

Those who wish to support homeless young people in the City of Westminster can donate to Centrepoint via the Lord Mayor of Westminster’s Charity Appeal fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/LordMayorOfWestminster-Centrepoint-20-21