Safe Grounding

Creating Stability, Dignity, and Belonging for Young People Facing Housing Insecurity

Safe Grounding is Active Horizons’ innovative initiative designed to address the housing insecurities and systemic inequities affecting young people aged 18–25.

Young people from Black migrant and refugee communities experience disproportionately high rates of homelessness. This is driven by structural racism, insecure immigration status, and hostile policies that limit access to statutory housing support. Research shows that housing insecurity deeply affects mental health, employment, self‑esteem, and long‑term opportunities. Yet the young people most affected are rarely invited to shape the solutions.

Homelessness for young people like us is not just about housing, it’s about race, power, and exclusion. When young people are trusted to design solutions rooted in their lived experience, we don’t just survive systems — we start to change them.”

Yeukai Taruvinga, CEO

Our Aproach

Safe Grounding is building a new model of care one that is culturally safe, trauma‑informed, and led by lived experience.

We focus on

Co‑designing solutions with young people who have lived experience of housing insecurity because they are the solution.

Providing culturally safe, trauma‑informed support that centres identity, dignity, and emotional wellbeing.

Creating stability and real foundations for the future, enabling young people to rebuild confidence and agency.

Developing replicable models and influencing policy, ensuring housing access is rooted in dignity and shaped by those most affected.

Working with young people aged 18–25, the initiative embeds trauma‑informed support, self‑advocacy training, and peer collaboration into every stage. By creating environments free from discrimination, Safe Grounding helps young people build the confidence, legal knowledge, and leadership skills needed to navigate complex systems.

Through piloting alternative pathways, Active Horizons is tackling a core systemic inequality: the racialised housing crisis. Our work reduces pressure on frontline services while creating new opportunities for young people to thrive.

Working with young people aged 18–25, the initiative embeds trauma‑informed support, self‑advocacy training, and peer collaboration into every stage. By creating environments free from discrimination, Safe Grounding helps young people build the confidence, legal knowledge, and leadership skills needed to navigate complex systems.

Through piloting alternative pathways, Active Horizons is tackling a core systemic inequality: the racialised housing crisis. Our work reduces pressure on frontline services while creating new opportunities for young people to thrive.

Become a Safe Grounding Peer Ambassador

We are looking for 5 young people aged 18–25 with lived experience of housing insecurity including rough sleeping, sofa surfing, temporary accommodation, or any form of homelessness who are passionate about shaping change.

As a Peer Ambassador, you will:

- Join the core team guiding the direction of the initiative
- Help design and deliver activities, research, and campaigns
- Participate in roundtable discussions and community consultations
- Influence policy and advocate for fairer housing systems
- Work alongside our team to build solutions rooted in dignity and lived experience
- Attend 2 meetings each month that are 3 hours each session

As young person providing lived experience into this, you will receive payment for your time as we value your time and expertise. The participatory amount of £105 per meeting and additional travel costs allowance.

This is an opportunity to lead, to be heard, and to help transform the systems that have failed so many.

If you feel the flow apply by completing this short form and we will respond back to you.

Apply

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