"Dyw hi byth yn rhy hwyr nac yn rhy gynnar i gael help" – mae ymgyrch atal digartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc yn targedu'r rhai sy'n ei chael hi’n anodd oherwydd Covid
“It’s never too late or too early to get help” – youth homelessness campaign targets those struggling due to Covid.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi lansio ymgyrch sy’n annog pobl ifanc sydd mewn perygl o fod yn ddigartref neu sydd eisoes yn ddigartref i ffonio Llinell Gymorth Cyngor ar Dai Shelter Cymru a Llamau, sy’n rhad ac am ddim.
Bellach yn ei hail flwyddyn, mae'r ymgyrch ar atal digartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc yn tynnu sylw at broblem digartrefedd cudd ymhlith pobl ifanc – gan godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r ffaith nad yw digartrefedd bob amser yn golygu byw ar y strydoedd.
Mae digartrefedd cudd yn fwyaf cyffredin ar ffurf symud o 'soffa i soffa' yn nhai ffrindiau neu aelodau o’r teulu, ond gall hefyd gynnwys aros rhywle dros dro fel hostel neu lety wely a brecwast, neu rywle sy'n anniogel neu'n anaddas.
Mae'r cam hwn o'r ymgyrch hefyd yn canolbwyntio ar bobl a allai fod mewn perygl o fod yn ddigartref oherwydd y pandemig; gallai’r bobl hyn fod wedi colli eu swyddi'n ddiweddar neu fod ar ffyrlo ac, o ganlyniad, efallai eu bod yn ei chael hi'n anodd i gadw eu cartrefi.
Yn ogystal â helpu'r bobl hyn i gydnabod y gallent fod mewn perygl o ddigartrefedd neu eu bod eisoes yn ddigartref, mae'r ymgyrch hefyd yn cynghori eu ffrindiau, eu teulu a'u cydweithwyr ar sut i adnabod arwyddion digartrefedd cudd.
Gofynnir i unrhyw un sy'n profi'r materion hyn ffonio'r Llinell Gymorth Cyngor ar Dai am ddim, sy'n cael ei hariannu gan Lywodraeth Cymru a'i rhedeg gan Shelter Cymru – gan gynnwys cymorth y tu allan i oriau gan Llamau.
Dywedodd Julie James, y Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol:
"Mae'r Coronafeirws wedi gorfodi llawer o bobl i drothwy digartrefedd. Bydd llawer o bobl ifanc yn cael trafferth gyda'r mathau hyn o faterion am y tro cyntaf; ac efallai bod eraill wedi bod yn cael trafferth cyn i'r pandemig daro.
"Mae'n rhaid inni hefyd gydnabod nad yw digartrefedd bob amser yn golygu byw ar y strydoedd, a bod rhai pobl ifanc wedi bod yn cysgu ar soffa eu ffrindiau neu eu teulu drwy gydol y pandemig hwn.
"Ein neges i'r bobl ifanc hynny a'r rhai o'u cwmpas yw ffonio'r Llinell Gymorth Cyngor ar Dai ar unwaith. Mae cynghorwyr arbenigol o Shelter Cymru wrth law yn ystod oriau arferol, ac y tu allan i’r oriau hynny mae cynghorwyr arbenigol o Llamau wrth law. Maen nhw ar gael i siarad â chi am y materion hyn, a'ch cynghori ar yr hyn y gallwch chi ei wneud – dyw hi byth yn rhy hwyr nac yn rhy gynnar i gael help."
Dywedodd Ruth Power, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol Shelter Cymru:
'Mae Shelter Cymru yn croesawu'r ymrwymiad newydd hwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru i fynd i'r afael â digartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc.
"Mae angen cartref ar bob person ifanc lle gallan nhw fyw eu bywyd, a bod yn ddiogel a ffynnu, a dyna pam mae hi mor bwysig bod unrhyw un sy'n ddigartref ar hyn o bryd neu sydd mewn perygl o fod yn ddigartref yn ymwybodol o'u hawliau, ac yn ymwybodol y gallan nhw ddod aton ni i gael help."
Dywedodd Frances Beecher, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol Llamau:
"Byddwn i’n annog unrhyw berson ifanc nad yw'n gwybod ble y byddan nhw’n treulio'r nos heno, yfory, neu’r wythnos nesaf, i'n ffonio a chael y cyngor a'r gefnogaeth sydd eu hangen arnyn nhw. Mae'r pandemig wedi gwaethygu llawer o'r materion a oedd eisoes yn gadael cynifer o bobl ifanc ar drothwy digartrefedd ac rydyn ni’n awr yn gweld cynifer mwy o bobl ifanc heb le diogel i alw'n gartref. Nid cysgu ar y strydoedd yn unig yw digartrefedd. Pan nad ydych chi’n gwybod ble y byddwch chi'n cysgu neu’n aros gyda ffrind neu ffrind i ffrind, dyna sut mae digartrefedd yn dechrau.
Gwyddom fod profiadau cyntaf llawer o bobl o ddigartrefedd yn digwydd pan fyddan nhw’n ifanc. Felly mae'n hanfodol ein bod ni'n gweithio i roi terfyn ar ddigartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc er mwyn rhoi terfyn ar ddigartrefedd yn gyffredinol. Mae mor bwysig bod pobl ifanc, a'r rhai sy'n eu hadnabod, yn cael cymorth cyn gynted ag y bydd ei angen arnyn nhw."
Mae atal digartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc yn flaenoriaeth hirsefydlog i Lywodraeth Cymru. Dyna pam, yn ogystal ag ariannu'r llinell gymorth hon, y darparwyd £3.7m ar gyfer rhaglenni ymyrryd ac atal yn gynnar drwy'r Grant Cymorth Ieuenctid. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda phartneriaid yn y gwasanaeth ieuenctid i helpu i ddod o hyd i bobl ifanc sydd mewn perygl o fod yn ddigartref er mwyn rhoi cymorth addas ar waith.
Am gyngor a chymorth ffoniwch y Llinell Gymorth Cyngor ar Dai ar 08000 495 495 neu ewch i wefan Shelter Cymru drwy fynd i www.sheltercymru.org.uk/hiddenhomelessness
DIWEDD
Nodiadau i olygyddion
Notes
As announced last week, the Welsh Government is also providing additional funding to support students most affected by the pandemic. This includes helping students facing hardship resulting from additional costs where their private landlord is not able to offer any help with changing rental agreements or cost of rent.
Other initiatives funded by Welsh Government to help young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness include:
- £3.9 million for the Youth Innovation Fund, which is increasing the housing options and support available for young people;
- £100,000 for Shelter Cymru to link up their advice line to Llamau to ensure young people only have to call one number day or night.
- £250,000 to fund a young person focused service to support young people seeking housing advice, delivered by Shelter Cymru
Case Study: Abigail
I started working for Shelter Cymru in November 2019. What really appealed to me about the job was that I really related to what Shelter Cymru stands for, that everyone has the right to a decent and secure home.
I work in the team providing housing advice to people on a range of problems including eviction notices, being made homeless, or having lost a job. We also have a lot of queries from people who are having difficulty paying their rent or mortgage and we help them to ensure they don’t become homeless. Every day is different and no two queries are the same, people are dealing with very real and very serious problems. There has been a significant rise in the number of people who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness, we take them through the process of making a homeless help application to the council and we are able to advocate for them on their behalf and make sure they know their rights. Covid-19 has pushed more people to the brink of homelessness and calls to our helpline more than doubled during the first lockdown.
People often think rough sleeping is the only form of homelessness because it is the most visible, but rough sleeping is just the tip of the iceberg and many more people are experiencing what is known as hidden homeless. This could be sleeping on the sofa at friends or relative's house, living in overcrowded accommodation, living in housing which is in disrepair or unsuitable for them or their families. The signs of hidden homelessness could be if someone you know has just split up with their partner, or their relationship with their family members has broken down, they could be struggling with their finances, paying their rent or not wanting to stay where they are staying. Someone who seems like they never go home, may have nowhere to go and during Covid-19 finding even temporary places to stay safely has become much more difficult.
Every situation is different and it is not always obvious to someone that they are experiencing homelessness. We work with people to help them understand what their rights are and even though they’re not sleeping on the streets they are technically homeless.’
That’s why it’s so important that people get in touch with us; look at the website, call our Housing Advice Helpline and speak to someone from Shelter or Llamau, and we’ll support you every step of the way to improve your housing situation. One key thing is that it’s never too late or too early to get help, so just reach out.
We’ve been a continuous service since day one of lockdown in March 2020, so we’ve always been there throughout this whole time and I know that a lot of people have been appreciative of that. It’s been a very busy year but there is always the light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve got a system that wants to help people, we don’t want people to feel like there isn't any hope out there. There is 100% hope, people need a home to build their lives and that's a really important message. There is hope by calling us, we’ll give you some confidence that this situation isn’t going to be a long-lasting one.