CHARLIE CONDOU - No.790

ROYAL BABY WATCH
Are you feeling bereft now the royal baby is born and the news reporters have moved onto lesser stories? Well don't be, the blog continues to find more ways to celebrate the arrival of baby King George (7th).

 To kick things off for your enjoyment here is Miss Piggy and Kermit:

HEIR LOSS

A BOY

CHEERS

A PRINCE BY ANY OTHER NAME

PORN BAN

BIRTHRIGHT

HAIR RIASING STORY

CORRIE WINS ON THE NIGHT

BEHIND THE PURPLE DOOR...

LGBT youth homeless charity the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) has just thrown open the doors to its newly-launched, “Purple Door” housing project (pictured). The project, consisting of two housing initiatives, one in London and one in Greater Manchester, is being launched by AKT patrons and actors Sir Ian McKellenand and Charlie Condou, and will provide short-term accommodation for LGBT youth in need of shelter.

AKT was launched back in 1989. Cath Hall, an experienced foster carer, was involved in Manchester's LGBT youth group where she became acutely aware of the rejection and ejection of young LGBT people from their family home and the homophobia they faced within school and society. She, with the help of others, set up a supported lodgings service for LGBT young people. The service was named in memory of Albert Kennedy, a young gay man, who fell to his death aged 16 in Manchester’s Gay village.

Since that time, AKT has continued to grow, and has specialised in finding accommodation for young LGBT people who have faced homelessness. Despite great changes in the legal rights enjoyed by LGBT people, many young people continue to face great discrimination when they come out to their families, and – shockingly – parents sometimes still evict children from their homes simply for being gay, bisexual or trans-gender.

Until now, AKT has mainly helped young LGBT people by finding them foster homes – usually with older LGBT people who have been able to act as positive role models and provide much needed shelter and support. The ‘Purple Door’ project marks a major development in the services that AKT is able to provide.

In London, AKT has worked in partnership with Circle 33 to open the UK’s first LGBT specific safe house designed for the 76% of the young people who come to AKT in London having escaped domestic violence or hate crime as a result of coming out.

Purple Door London aims to take LGBT young people away from danger and off the streets. They will stay in the safe house for up to 21 days whilst specialist workers provide a bespoke intervention covering longer-term accommodation, support, mentoring, advocacy and therapeutic care. With six bedrooms, plus shared space and facilities, the house will work with an estimated 200+ vulnerable young people per year, providing a safe, positive space for them to regain their autonomy.

In Greater Manchester, AKT has worked in partnership with Threshold and the New Charter Housing Group to open a four-bedroom 6-12 month supported housing project – the first in the northwest exclusively for LGBT young people. The project will support young people into education, employment and training, and equip them with the skills they need to live independently through a structured tenancy training programme. AKT will prepare young people with training on issues that affect them, such as coming out in the workplace and improving self-esteem, as well as standard independent living skills such as budgeting. In addition, young people will have access to AKT’s portfolio of support such as mentoring and befriending. 

AKT Chief Executive Tim Sigsworth says “This is a historic day for AKT as we open our Purple Door houses in London and Manchester. Despite ten years of progressive legislation which has enabled young LGBT people to feel more confident to come out at an early age – we are still seeing young people coming to us on a regular basis facing issues such as homophobia, bi phobia, transphobia, domestic violence, forced marriages and bullying. Mainstream housing services do not provide the focused, comprehensive and tailored support that these young people need, and demand for our services has risen by 30% in recent years. With the launch of Purple Door, we can now help more of these young people and we are immensely grateful to our partners, donors and supporters for making this day happen.”

AKT Patron, Coronation Street star and journalist Charlie Condou says “The AKT already do such incredible work with LGBT youth but the opening of the Purple Door House marks the start of a new and exciting era for us. We are now able to offer young homeless LGBT people immediate refuge, and this is largely down to fundraising and donations. Please continue to support the AKT wherever possible so we see more of these invaluable houses in the future.” 




The Purple Door Project has been funded exclusively through individual donations and corporate sponsorship – with no public money involved.

If you would like to be part of helping AKT build and extend the reach of its services to more LGBT young people facing homelessness please visit www.give15.org to donate.

Referrals to AKTs services and the new Purple Door housing projects can be made via the website at www.akt.org.uk

A SPOTTER'S FEES FOR EDDIE MY MAN ON THE GROUND IN LONDON

[NOT A EUPHEMISM]

edwardclarke: @SirThomasWynne - thought the following 2 tweets were quite funny x 

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A RIGHT GOOD BLOGGIN'

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