The PCC, Simon Foster, has welcomed new funding for a youth advice hub at the Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill to help reduce violence in the area.
The funding is going towards a refurbished space, staffing and more services for young people, providing an open access space to support emotional health and wellbeing and to avoid young people being drawn into crime and youth violence.
The youth hub, called Routes, will be a walk-in service, where young people can drop in during the opening hours from 3pm to 7pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.
There will be a dedicated team to build trusted relationships with young people offering advice, guidance and connections to support on a range of issues such as mental health, drug and alcohol use, sexual health and anything young people would like to discuss.
The space originally opened as Youth Stop in August 2023 and acted as a centre for young people to access a range of services, by appointment only.
The refurbished site will open in late summer 2024 with more support services available and a dedicated team to manage the hub in order to support more young people.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster said: “I am pleased that Routes will be acting as a safe space for our young people to access the help and support they need in Dudley.
“We must believe in, engage with, listen to, work with and invest in our young people.
“Young people have been a central part of the process in developing Routes and we will continue to work with them, to ensure the hub is a helpful, supportive and safe space for our young people.”
Vicky Branch, Head of Children and Young People’s Services at Cranstoun, said: “We are thrilled to be opening Routes as a dedicated and welcoming youth hub in collaboration with Merry Hill Shopping Centre and a range of support services.
“Routes youth hub will be a place where young people can attend to discuss anything that’s on their mind.
“We will build relationships based on trust and understanding, intervening early and empowering young people to reach their potential, no matter their circumstances.”
The £250,000 for Routes has mainly come from Cranstoun’s Innovation Fund, which consists of money set aside to allow the charity to deliver new ideas and service concepts which are not funded through more traditional routes.
Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity which empowers adults and young people to live healthier, safer lives.
The charity provides services and programmes for adults and young people who need support addressing their use of alcohol and other drugs, domestic abuse, housing and those in contact with the criminal justice system.
The rest of the funding has come from the Inclusive Communities Fund, the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (WM VRP), Black Country Mental Health Foundation Trust, fundraising activities and the Merry Hill Centre.
Routes has 12 months of funding secured with planning for further funding currently underway. It is located by the bus station at Merry Hill, opposite bus stop B.
