Tai Ffres receives £10m funding from Welsh Government

Tai Ffres, a youth housing service in development by United Welsh and Llamau, has been allocated £10m funding in Welsh Government’s final budget.

Previous funding from Welsh Government’s Youth Homelessness Innovation Fund supported United Welsh and Llamau in developing Tai Ffres; an innovative, alternative housing pathway for young people who do not meet the threshold for homelessness services, or where traditional supported accommodation services would not be appropriate.

With Tai Ffres, young people will be offered a genuinely affordable home, with support if they want it.

Richard Mann, Group Chief Executive of United Welsh said:

“We are delighted that Welsh Government has committed a further £10m to continue supporting our ambitious development of Tai Ffres.

“This service is about breaking down barriers and putting the needs of young people first, moving away from restrictive criteria and thresholds that young people often face when trying to secure a home.

“Through Tai Ffres, young people will be offered genuinely affordable homes where they can settle, build a future and enjoy their freedom.”

Tai Ffres will benefit from existing services delivered by United Welsh and Llamau, and will continue to develop with young people, research and homelessness prevention at the core, supported by the End Youth Homelessness Cymru project.

Frances Beecher, CEO of Llamau said:

“We welcome Welsh Government’s further funding of Tai Ffres, which allows us to build on our partnership with United Welsh in this innovative service.

“With co-production at its heart, Tai Ffres centres around young people’s freedom, choice and independence, providing homes with flexible, aspirational tenancies.

“Tai Ffres is a key part of Llamau’s continuing development of young people-centred services that provide a safe home. We are delighted by Welsh Government’s ongoing support for this valuable work with United Welsh.”

Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change, with responsibility for housing, Julie James said:

“Everybody in Wales deserves access to a good quality, affordable and settled home, and we are committed to ending all forms of homelessness in Wales.

“The Welsh Government launched the Youth Homelessness Innovation Fund in 2019 to support ambitious and innovative approaches to increase the housing and support options available to young people.

“Tai Ffres is an excellent example of this, and I’m delighted we are able to provide further funding to support the development of the service.”

About us

United Welsh is an innovative, not-for-profit organisation providing housing and services to people in South Wales. We currently manage over 6,300 properties across 11 local authorities and in the next five years, we plan to build 1,300 more homes.

Beyond homes, we provide opportunities for people to invest in their skills, their wellbeing and their communities.

We have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2035, making the changes needed at our homes and communities to protect the environment.

Llamau’s mission is to eradicate homelessness for young people and women in Wales. We believe that no young person or woman should ever have to experience homelessness.

Llamau works across Wales to prevent homelessness, provide safe accommodation and support people to leave homelessness behind for good. We have supported nearly 100,000 people.