donate to akt's winter appeal today
As temperatures plummet, join our appeal to bring LGBTQ+ youth in from the cold. Our vital services get young people off the streets and help them feel safe and secure in being who they are.
87% of the young people we supported last year had experienced rough sleeping at some point before coming to akt. Please donate today and help bring young people In From the Cold.
akt helps extremely vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. Over the past few years, we have seen a 112% increase in young people looking for support directly after the winter holiday period.
Most of the young people we help cite family abuse or rejection as the reason they are in need. When you live with an abusive or hostile family, this time of year can be particularly challenging. It can be much more difficult to spend time with friends or a support network.
This winter, please help us to reach the increasing numbers of young people who face homelessness due to homophobia, transphobia and abuse.
What your support could do
- A mobile phone top up so a young person has a lifeline – £20
- ID so a young person can open their own bank account – £40
- An emergency support pack – £37
- Gender affirming clothes for interviews/work – £50
- A stay in emergency accommodation – £192
- A Rainbow Starter Pack which includes a rental deposit, the first week’s shop, furniture and a moving van – £539
What your support means for someone like Ivy
Ivy* is trans and a university student. At home, she was subject to transphobic abuse by her family. It was not safe for her to return home for the holidays.
akt paid for Ivy to stay in her student accommodation until her new student tenancy was ready. We helped her to move her PIP payment from her family’s bank account to her own. We provided advice on money management and helped her apply for student finance estrangement status. akt also provided a £50 voucher to purchase some interview-appropriate clothes.
akt have been a lifesaving service. Without my caseworker's support and advice, I would have had to return to an abusive environment and may have even dropped out of university. Now, I can start supporting myself by myself for the foreseeable future.Ivy, akt service user
Please, donate and help a young person like Ivy today.
*name and all identifying features changed
akt is the national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity, providing safe homes and better futures for LGBTQ+ young people. Almost one quarter of all young people facing or experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+. The charity was set up in Manchester in 1989 in memory of Albert Kennedy and has since opened its doors in London, Newcastle, and Bristol. akt also offers a digital service to support young people across the country. In over 30 years, akt has provided more than 250,000 nights off the street and supported over 50,000 LGBTQ+ young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.