Six months into our partnership with Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, the cardfactory Foundation has seen first-hand just how powerful targeted, purposeful funding can be. This milestone moment was brought to life during a recent visit to Centrepoint’s Manchester service, where our team had the opportunity to meet the specialist staff and psychologists delivering the Bright Future Initiative on the ground.
Seeing the Bright Future Initiative in action
The visit offered an invaluable window into how the Foundation’s support is helping to change the way young people affected by homelessness are supported. Teams in Manchester showcased the day-to-day work taking place behind the scenes, from therapeutic support to trauma-informed approaches designed to help young people feel safe, understood, and ready to rebuild their lives.
One of the most transformative elements of the partnership so far has been the expansion of Centrepoint’s Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) work. Thanks to Foundation funding, a dedicated nationwide team of PIE psychologists is now active across services in London, Manchester, Bradford, and Barnsley. Their work is reshaping what youth homelessness support can look like, ensuring that every conversation, every space, and every relationship contributes to a young person’s sense of stability and hope.
Six months of progress – and thousands of lives impacted
In just half a year, the Bright Future Initiative has already reached an extraordinary number of young people. More than four thousand have been supported through tailored care designed to build resilience, improve wellbeing, and create a path towards independence.
Alongside direct support, hundreds of Centrepoint staff and partner organisations have now been trained in PIE principles. This ripple effect means the benefits of the partnership extend far beyond the psychologist team or individual services, influencing best practice across the wider youth homelessness sector.
Services themselves are also evolving. Many young people’s homes have been improved to create warmer, safer, more welcoming environments where they can begin to feel settled and supported. During our visit, staff explained how thoughtful changes to physical spaces can make an immediate difference to how comfortable and valued a young person feels.
Making Christmas brighter through the Life Moments Fund
The visit also provided the chance to learn how the Foundation’s Life Moments Fund will be bringing comfort and connection to young people this Christmas. With many facing the festive period without family or a place they can truly call home, the fund will enable services across the UK to provide meaningful gifts, essentials, and moments of joy at what can be a challenging time of year.
The Life Moments Fund was created to support people during the most difficult points in their lives. Seeing that purpose reflected so clearly in Centrepoint’s Manchester service, through stories, staff commitment, and even small touches like the home-baked cake shared with our team, was a powerful reminder of why this partnership matters.
Helping young people thrive
Six months on, our partnership is not only reaching young people at scale but changing the way trauma is understood and supported in youth homelessness services. The expertise funded by the Foundation is helping young people rebuild trust, regain confidence, and imagine a future that once felt out of reach.
We are incredibly proud of what has already been achieved, and even more excited for what the next two and a half years will bring. Together with Centrepoint, we remain committed to helping young people move from crisis to stability, and ultimately, to thriving futures.
You can read more about the Life Moments Fund here.
