HORSHAM Y CENTRE
A new YMCA centre, the Horsham Y Centre, is currently being built in Albion Way, Horsham to provide a much-needed resource for young people in the area. 48 young people aged between 16 and 30 will find a home and the support they need to continue their journey into adult lives.
In 2003 Horsham District Council joined forces with the YMCA to assess the needs of local youngsters and decide how best to provide for those needs. Part of the process included a video made by some of the town’s young people. The film showed them researching the needs and wants of their local contemporaries. The overwhelming verdict was that a new community centre and accommodation for homeless young people was very necessary.
The partnership between Horsham District Council and the YMCA went from strength to strength with a successful joint bid to the Housing Corporation for funds to build the much-needed centre. £3.9 million was forthcoming, which meant that the planning and building process could begin. Construction began on site at the beginning of April 2004 and the Y Centre is on course for completion in the Spring of 2005.
Working in the community
Although the building is not ‘up and running’ yet, the work with young people in the community has already started. The YMCA in Horsham has recently employed their first two paid members of staff in over 100 years. Alison Boon and Mark Taylor are working on the local Needles estate to develop a community centre for local youngsters, funding by Horsham District Council.