The brand-new Breakwater Place is open 

After months of hard work, commitment and dedication, we are so excited to finally be able to announce this news:   

The brand-new Breakwater Place is open 

On Wednesday 18th March, we had a wonderful day in Plymouth opening the newly named ‘Breakwater Place’. The 47-bed house has been developed in partnership with Plymouth City Council, Young Devon and YMCA Exeter and will soon be welcoming its first new residents, local young people at risk of homelessness. 

We were delighted to have BBC Devon and ITV Westcountry join us on the day.  

We haven’t been able to talk about this project for a while but many cogs have been turning behind the scenes and we’re so thankful for God’s provision which will impact countless young people across Plymouth.  

Breakwater Place has been made possible by a £4 million grant from Homes England’s and MHCLG (Ministry for housing communities and local government) SHAP fund (Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme) to create a housing pathway for young people and free up bed-blocked hostel accommodation in Plymouth. The new homes will give many 18–25-year-olds the option to move on from Plymouth’s higher supported accommodation, foster placements, and supported living arrangements into homes focused on developing independent living skills and focus on forging their own positive futures. 

Partnership is at the heart of Breakwater Place

“Across the two charities, we already support hundreds of young people in quality supported accommodation every day,” explains Si Johns, YMCA Exeter Joint CEO. “But through excellent strategic partnerships, we can all do more and do it more effectively! That is what is so exciting about this project, that at the heart of it is local authorities partnering with local charities and charities working together.”  

There is an acute need for this exact type of supported housing provision in Plymouth. Plymouth City Council has successfully supported 449 households from becoming homeless in the last year, yet the need is soaring with a 162% increase in temporary accommodation demand.  

January 2026 saw 192 young people aged between 18-25 on the Devon Home Choice social housing register for Plymouth, at high risk of homelessness and urgently in need of somewhere to live.  

The new supported accommodation, Breakwater Place, will combine a full programme of volunteering, training, education and employment with the comprehensive support systems both charities are well known for.   

We still need to furnish these flats. 

Could you help by donating towards new furniture?