47 new, affordable homes open for young people at risk of homelessness in Plymouth

At 11am on Wednesday 18th March, Young Devon young trustee, Taylor Simmonds and Plymouth City Councillor, Chris Penberthy, cut the ribbon at Breakwater Place and officially opened the new 47-bed home for young people at risk of homelessness in Plymouth.

The new development has been made possible through a partnership between Young Devon, YMCA Exeter and Plymouth City Council to tackle the growing housing crisis in Plymouth and transform the newly named ‘Breakwater Place’ into safe, secure and affordable homes.

There is an acute need for this exact type of supported housing provision in Plymouth. Plymouth City Council has successfully supported 449 households from becoming homeless in the last year, yet the need is soaring with a 162% increase in temporary accommodation demand.

January 2026 saw 192 young people aged between 18-25 on the Devon Home Choice social housing register for Plymouth, at high risk of homelessness and urgently in need of somewhere to live.

The new supported accommodation was made possible by a £4 million funding grant from Homes England’s SHAP (Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme) to free up bed-blocked hostel accommodation in Plymouth. The new homes will give many 18–25-year-olds the option to move on from Plymouth’s higher supported accommodation, foster placements, and supported living arrangements into homes focused on developing independent living skills.

The unique supported housing pathway at Breakwater Place will combine a full programme of volunteering, training, education and employment with the comprehensive support systems both charities are well known for.

“Across the two charities, we already support hundreds of young people in quality supported accommodation every day,” explains Si Johns, YMCA Exeter Joint CEO. “But through excellent strategic partnerships, we can all do more and do it more effectively! That is what is so exciting about this project, that at the heart of it is local authorities partnering with local charities and charities working together.

“In Paignton, the Local Authority, Torbay Council, has also partnered with YMCA South Devon and YMCA Exeter in the same way, enabling more accommodation and Nightstop placements to be provided to those in desperate need. Working in this joined-up way is efficient and saves money for the local authority and therefore also for local people.”

At Breakwater Place in Plymouth, Young Devon will manage the daily support that each young person engages with, ensuring a high level of wrap-around services, with a person-centered approach. 

“Trusted, person-centered relationships with young people and their families are at the heart of everything we do, because we know they create lasting change,” explains Andy Moreman, Young Devon CEO.

“Through our ground-breaking Supported Housing Pathway, young people receive daily support from dedicated youth coaches, helping them into volunteering, training and employment and building a future they can be proud of.”

The first flats will be ready for young people to move into later in the month.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Communities and Cooperative Development, says: “I am absolutely delighted to see Breakwater Place open and offer this much-needed accommodation for young people.

“When we bid for the SHAP funding that made this happen, this is exactly the kind of project we wanted to support; one that will make a difference to the lives of so many people.

 “As the homelessness crisis continues to play out across the country, partnership work like this is so important to providing tangible solutions and I’d like to thank YMCA Exeter and Young Devon for their tireless resolve in delivering this project.”

 The youth charities are calling on local businesses in Plymouth to help with this exciting endeavour and provide finances to help furnish the 47 flats.

To find out more please email: resourcing@ymcaexeter.org.uk or marketing@youngdevon.org