Young people who have experienced homelessness are using their personal experiences to help others.
Six young people who lived through homelessness are working with 250 of their peers to escape the cycle of poverty and find permanent and stable places to live.
The Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF) has trained and employed the group to act as advocates to support others struggling to cope without permanent accommodation.
Demi Laverty, one of the NIYF young apprentices, said "our team has real, first-hand experiences of homelessness and what young people need to improve their life chances".
"You can feel trapped and that the complicated systems to get support and help are stacked against you.
"We’ve been there and know what works and what doesn’t."
Speaking at a youth-led event in Belfast celebrating projects seeking to help young homeless and vulnerable housed people, she said being a participant before a staff member gave her "the knowledge of how invaluable the work is".
Read more:
- Housing Executive warns ability to provide homelessness services 'virtually impossible' following budget cuts
- Boy, 13, who has spent more than a year camping in garden aiming to beat record
- Prince of Wales visits Belfast in campaign launch to tackle homelessness
"Putting young people such as myself in supportive roles enables us to create safe, understanding and empathetic spaces for young people," she said.
"Spaces where they can flourish and develop into the people they want to be.”
The event celebrated a number of projects involving the NIYF work alongside the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Ulster University.
Colleen Armstrong, a project participant who recently avoided eviction from her NI Housing Executive tenancy through peer support, also spoke at the event.
"Without it I wouldn’t be where I am today. Asking for help was hard but the rewards that came from it have truly changed my life," she said.
"My tenancy is now stable, I’ve got a full time job and I’ve recently been accepted onto an Open University Course”
The NIYF is working with UU on a National Lottery-funded project to give young people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to gain qualifications and to work with university staff to remove barriers to higher education.
Paul Dynes from NIYF said: “This shows what can be achieved when young people come together and work to address the serious issues facing them.
"The event is shining a light on the many challenges they face daily.
"We hope these young people’s stories are listened to and what they have to say is acted upon.”
Grainia Long, Housing Executive chief executive, said; “Our approach to homelessness is that it should be prevented, where possible and that it should be brief and non-recurring.
“Young people are affected by homelessness, but they also have a role to play in ending homelessness together with statutory and non-profit service providers.
“The projects and experiences on display today prove the deep level of engagement on this issue by our young people and I’m inspired by their ideas and commitment.”
