YMCA Thames Gateway has secured £6million from the Greater London Authority (GLA) to build 100 new homes as part of the Mayor of London’s affordable housing programme.

30 of the homes will be built in Thamesmead and will increase YMCA Thames Gateway’s offer to house young people at risk of homelessness in their key Boroughs.

Tracy White, Director of Housing, YMCA Thames Gateway said: “This grant is great news for us and for the young people we work with in the area.

"This funding will help us to pilot a new and exciting housing model called YAspire. It is an exciting model which has been developed by YMCATG, which seeks to provide homeless young people with accommodation alongside space to develop their entrepreneurial skills.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I want to see everyone playing their part in tackling the housing crisis in London, because it is simply unacceptable that Londoners continue to be priced out of a city they call home.

“We know that solving the housing crisis is not going to happen overnight, but I very much welcome so many housing associations and councils matching my ambition by committing to build the new and genuinely affordable homes Londoners so desperately need.

“I am delighted that we have set a City Hall record for the number of homes allocated funding -  but I am clear that we have got much more to do to secure the land we need to build homes and ensure we have sufficient capacity in the construction industry.”