A new report by the YMCA explores the impact of the benefits system on young people living in supported accommodation and their ability to work.

Please click here to access the full report.

YMCA firmly believes that everyone should have a fair chance to discover who they are and what they can become.

Key findings include:

• Supported accommodation residents are often financially penalised for undertaking paid work
• Benefits are too low to live on, especially for the under 25s
• Mental health is still one of the biggest challenges for supported accommodation residents
•  Benefit sanctions are not suitable for supported accommodation residents and do not have the desired outcome of encouraging people into work
• Jobcentre staff need to build relationships of understanding and trust in order to help young people move into work

The report goes into the recommendations for all the above findings.