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Housing associations have a responsibility to support young people in our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Whether it is through addressing isolation or access to healthcare, the sector has a responsibility to young people struggling during the coronavirus crisis, writes Daniel Rose
One major concern is the impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on young people – especially those for whom life was challenging before.
In addition to disrupted education, friendships and routine, the crisis has the potential to have a particularly damaging effect on young people with mental health issues and those living in homes where domestic violence or substance misuse are present.
“Many young people living with poor mental health requested additional support during this period, so we worked with local partners to increase remote access to specialist support such as counselling and therapy”
In 2014, Poplar Harca launched its own youth service, Spotlight, which has since engaged with more than 10,000 young people in a programme of youth work, creative arts, sports and leadership activity. In partnership with young people, Spotlight has evolved and grown as a youth service – using centre-based, detached and outreach youth work methods to engage more than 4,000 young people in Tower Hamlets each year.
Following the initial advice from the government to ‘stay at home’, we had to adapt quickly as a service. Our initial priority was to keep in contact with as many young people as possible to provide reassurance and guidance – keeping them safe, supported and connected.
Almost overnight, our regular face-to-face check-ins were transformed to phone calls and online sessions. Our youth work team’s existing relationships with young people meant we were able to prioritise contacting those who we were most concerned about.
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Through talking and listening to more than 1,500 young people, we were able to understand their needs and provide additional support where necessary. Many young people living with poor mental health requested additional support during this period, so we worked with local partners to increase remote access to specialist support such as counselling and therapy.
“We launched a new GP service specifically for young people. This service was already in the pipeline, but in response to the pandemic we reconfigured it to an online service”
Youth workers also noted that the key themes during lockdown among young people were boredom and isolation. In response we transformed our creative arts, sports and leadership programme to an online format. We successfully produced an online programme of live sessions, tutorials, challenges, competitions and workshops for young people, which is available seven days a week.
Another concern for us was that young people would not access necessary healthcare due to fear or accessibility issues. During lockdown, in partnership with NHS England, we launched Health Spot, a new GP service specifically for young people. This service was already in the pipeline, but in response to the pandemic we reconfigured it to an online service.
As a housing association we are proud of what this partnership means for the young people in the community. Health inequality is an important issue and Health Spot helps address this. The service offers confidential medical appointments with GPs experienced in supporting young people.
The virtual service is already proving successful with its young users who, as a demographic, traditionally face barriers when accessing the health system. Health Spot educates them on how to look after their health.
We will not be able to judge the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 on the lives of our young people for many years to come, but to maximise health and well-being for all it is vital to consider equity in the response to the pandemic. Housing associations are well placed to support people to recover from this crisis and continue to create resilient communities to overcome future adversity.
I am proud to work for a housing association that has continually prioritised community services. This ongoing commitment has provided a solid platform, enabling us to respond and innovate to help the most vulnerable people during this period of upheaval.
“Housing associations are well placed to support people to recover from this crisis and continue to create resilient communities to overcome future adversity”
The future still looks uncertain, but it remains essential that we continue to support and develop our young people. Many housing associations, such as members of the Housing Associations’ Youth Network, recognise the importance of effective youth work as part of a portfolio of community services.
We must continue to work in partnership and invest in youth services to help develop resilience in our young people to overcome future life challenges.
Given how different the world could look after the coronavirus pandemic, that is more vital than ever.
Daniel Rose, director of Spotlight, Poplar Harca
