YORKSHIRE Building Society has said thanks a million to the community in Ilkley for helping to raise £1million for its End Youth Homelessness (EYH) partnership.

The Society’s branch, on Station Road, has raised £697 for EYH in the three and a half year partnership that has helped over 455 young people and 95 dependent children into their own rented homes.

EYH is a national movement of local charities working together to end youth homelessness in the UK.

An estimated 110,000 young people in the UK were homeless or at risk of homelessness last year including 2,050 young people in Bradford who contacted their local authority in 2018/19.

By funding the Rent Deposit Scheme, providing rental deposit guarantees, initial rent payments and home essentials grants, the partnership gave practical help to homeless young people (aged 16 to 25) across the UK that were ready to live independently.

The money has been raised through activities such as colleague fundraising, public donations, innovative savings accounts and donations from Yorkshire Building Society.

Anthony Pinder, manager of the Ilkley branch of Yorkshire Building Society, said: “I want to thank everyone in the community here in Ilkley that has supported our partnership with End Youth Homelessness. This has enabled us to help hundreds of homeless young people move into their own homes and provide them with the support they need to rebuild their future. Through our partnership, we’ve helped young people to overcome some of the enormous financial barriers to living independently like rental deposits, the first month’s rent, or household essentials and furniture.”

EYH charities collectively work with over 30,000 young people who are amongst the most deprived in the country. Nicholas Connolly, Managing Director for End Youth Homelessness, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to colleagues and customers at the Society for their support, which has helped change the lives of homeless young people.”