The Running Charity embraces the benefits of running and regular fitness to help transform the lives of young men and women experiencing homelessness. In the UK alone, 80,000 young people aged 16 to 24 experience homelessness each year. Homelessness deeply impacts both the young person affected and the wider-society. Without a strong support system in place, becoming a young adult can be extremely daunting. Understandably, the attitudes of those affected grow naturally pessimistic. Homelessness can instigate or compound existing mental health and drug-misuse problems among young people. There is a strong association between homelessness and a withdrawal from education, employment or training. In 2012, The Running Charity partnered with New Horizon Youth Centre - a day centre in North London working with homeless youths - and launched the UK's first running-specific sport-for-development programme. By engaging young people in regular running-based activities led by qualified fitness professionals, their aim was to harness the benefits of running as a powerful motivational tool, ultimately achieving positive, sustainable outcomes in all participants. Their innovative, holistic approach impacts health and improves mental well-being, replacing destructive behaviour patterns with constructive, self-enriching activity. As part of a broader approach to young people's care, running also provides a means to engage and build trust – helping to dispel the negativity that hinders young people's development and help more successfully transition into employment, education and accommodation. Since 2012, The Running Charity's services have impacted the lives of over 170 youths with unprecedented success and generating a projected societal cost-saving of over £6.9million.
