A Welcome Christmas Present For A Young Homeless person

Published on: 13 Dec, 2013
Updated on: 17 Dec, 2013

Everyone likes nice toiletries at Christmas: scented soaps, hand cream, a bit of self indulgence.

But if you are a teenager and you find yourself homeless in Surrey in December with absolutely nothing – a bag of toiletries is far more than luxury: it is a rescue pack, an unexpected gift that says you are special and someone cares.

Christmas crisis rescue packs for teenagers: From left: Maggie Knivett, Youth Support Service Homelessness Prevention; Ellie Paterson, Youth Support Service Reparation scheme; Janette Butler, P&G and Cllr Mary Angell, look at what goes into the bags.

In an inspired example of joined up thinking, Surrey Youth Support Service Reparation Scheme, which enables young offenders to make amends either to their victims or the wider community, and P&G (Procter & Gamble), are supporting Surrey’s Homelessness Prevention Service by creating toiletry bags for young people in crisis.

P&G, based at Weybridge, supplies the personal care products as part of its social responsibility mission P&G Community Matters. The bags are put together by young offenders who learn about homelessness and caring for others, and they are then handed to young people when they are alone and at their lowest ebb. They are hugely appreciated.

“We are so grateful to P&G for their generous support,” said Cllr Mary Angell, Surrey County Council cabinet member for children and families, when she visited the company this week to see what goes into the bags. “It is brilliant that young offenders are actively helping fellow teenagers through this project.”

“In our first year of operation we helped 350 young people who came to us in crisis with nothing,” explained Maggie Knivett, deputy manager of the Homelessness Prevention Service, part of the Youth Support Service. “We have emergency beds across Surrey where we can place young people when they have had to leave home suddenly. Christmas can be a particularly difficult time.

“When we give them the toiletry bags they are really pleased. It is a gesture that makes them feel valued and P&G has been fantastic in supplying the products that go into the bags.”

One young homeless person summed it up: “It’s really nice for people to help me when things are really tough. Without the help I’m not sure what I would have done.”

Janette Butler, P&G’s community matters manager, said P&G had a longstanding relationship with the reparation scheme within Surrey Youth Support Service. “When they suggested there was a need for these rescue packs, we were delighted to help. P&G has a strong volunteering programme for employees, we believe that skill sharing is sometimes as or more valuable to charities than donations alone. I particularly liked the fact that the young offenders are making the bags up so they have to think about homelessness.

“One of our main focus areas is to improve health and confidence, encouraging healthy behaviour and hygiene. This project fulfils this perfectly.”