British entrepreneur and investor, Javad Marandi OBE, and financier, Jamie Reuben have been appointed Co-Chairs of Centrepoint’s Growth Board.

The Growth Board is spearheading Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme (ILP) – the most ambitious project ever to be undertaken in the youth homelessness charity’s 50 year history.

The multi-million pound project is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and is seen as a major innovation in the efforts to curb youth homelessness. It will enable the most vulnerable young people to build sustainable careers without a simultaneous burden of market housing costs.

Through ILP, Centrepoint is committed to building 300 homes across London and Greater Manchester in the first instance. It is aimed at young people aged 16-25, who struggle with or are at risk of homelessness but whose prospects have improved with the help of Centrepoint’s frontline services, and have thus secured entry-level jobs or apprenticeships. They will be able to live independently in bespoke, modern, safe, and affordable homes paying rents that are capped at around a third of their salary.

This would typically mean a 20-year old young person in Manchester, earning minimum wage (currently £6.56 per hour or £1,050 per month) would pay around £350 per month to live in a self-contained apartment. However, Centrepoint’s intention is to work with ethical employers to ensure young people are earning above minimum wage which would typically mean someone in London earning £18,000 per year would pay no more than £500 per month to live independently.

On average, more than 20 percent of the young people receiving support via Centrepoint are ready to move on and up each year but are all too often unable to do so; the result of a shortage of secure, affordable homes; increasingly restrictive welfare policies; and reductions in local authority benefits.

In addition to giving young people whose prospects have improved a real chance of future independence, ILP will help tackle free up the hostel beds Centrepoint currently provides for those who need more intensive support.

On 13th November 2019 Centrepoint's patron HRH The Duke of Cambridge paid an official visit to Centrepoint’s first Independent Living Programme accommodation, Petterson Haberdashers Apprenticeship House, a residential community for seven young people who are enrolled in apprenticeship programmes in Lewisham.

A second ILP scheme has just secured planning permission from London Borough of Southwark to build 33 new single-occupancy modular homes in south London. This development will transform the existing block of eight flats into two blocks for the 33 homes, with the modular design offering a cost-effective solution and reducing construction time by more than 50 percent.

Progress on further expansion of ILP developments is expected soon, with Centrepoint currently in positive talks with a number of local authorities, including London Boroughs of Barnet, Hounslow and Waltham Forest, and Manchester and Salford City Councils.

The Growth Board will advise Centrepoint’s senior staff and help raise essential funds, secure land and property development opportunities, and attract ethical employers that can provide apprenticeships and entry-level jobs. As Co-Chairs, Javad Marandi and Jamie Reuben will establish and grow the board to garner top-level public and private sector support and ensure Centrepoint delivers this most ambitious programme.

In addition to his work on ILP, Javad Marandi is also leading the way on bolstering Centrepoint’s jobs, skills and training division - Centrepoint Works - to compliment the Independent Living Programme. With Javad's extensive expertise and the support of the Marandi Foundation, Centrepoint is scaling up the capabilities of Centrepoint Works. The newly restructured arm will deliver training and skills to more than 1,200 young people every year and will look to secure more than 200 jobs and apprenticeships combined. The creation of a new, easily accessible, interactive digital platform and app will offer support and advice, prevention information, job opportunities, and direct engagement with ethical employers for up to 20,000 young people annually.

Javad Marandi said: “The difficulties and seemingly insurmountable challenges that far too many of our young people currently face, is being exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The work Centrepoint does on the frontline, often under huge pressure, and with limited resources is both vital and inspiring, but sadly it’s not enough on its own. We need to give those struggling 16-25 year olds who are ready, the chance of a job as well as the security and stability of their own home. The Independent Living and Centrepoint Works programmes represent fresh thinking and provide a creative solution, which can go some way to improving the prospects of those that need it most, whilst establishing a workable model that can be significantly expanded in future.”

The Reuben Foundation has supported Centrepoint for a number of years, and Jamie Reuben’s commitment to the Independent Living Programme will continue the families’ generous lineage commitment to improve the sustainability of the charity and the homeless young people it assists.

Jamie Reuben said: “In a time of growing uncertainty and with unemployment on the rise, it is vital that young people have a safe place to call home and a secure job to sustain themselves financially. It is an honour to be part of a programme making this a reality and ensuring young people are given the opportunity to fulfil their potential."

Seyi Obakin OBE, Centrepoint CEO, said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Javad Marandi and Jamie Reuben as Co-Chairs of the Independent Living Programme Growth Board. Both bring a wealth of experience, unique expertise, and elite networks that will help us in our mission to offer vulnerable young people the best chance to have a job and a home, and beat homelessness once and for all.”