More than 400 people received new furniture, appliances and flooring over 12 months as part of a groundbreaking campaign aimed at ending homelessness.
And east of England charity Hopestead is now aiming to expand the campaign, called Hope at Home, to help even more people.
Lucy Parish, Hopestead’s Head of Operations, said that while Hope at Home’s impact had been impressive, it had come amid rising demand for the charity’s services.
Mrs Parish said: “During the year, more than 20,000 people experienced homelessness in the east of England and over 18,000 of those were living in temporary accommodation.
“The cost-of-living crisis saw a sharp rise in the number of people accessing support for household debt, food and fuel. Hope at home is about ensuring that people moving into a property from a route of homelessness, have essential items to enable them to thrive, so they are empowered to break the cycle of homelessness”.
Watch a video summary of Hopestead’s impact over the 2023-24 year here: https://vimeo.com/1010997679/96487eaa45
Hopestead’s newly-published impact report for the 2023-24 financial year said 418 people in 239 households – including 154 children – were supported through Hope at Home.
Of these, Hopestead provided emergency bedding and appliances to 88 households, flooring and carpets to 160 households, and supplied 462 new whitegoods. The total value of support provided was £875,825.
Another highlight of the year was Hopestead Place in Ipswich, which was opened last October by human rights activist Sir Terry Waite. It consists of two self-contained modular homes for use by people transitioning out of homelessness.
These ranged from an employment programme for people leaving prison, to a night shelter providing emergency accommodation.
Housing provider Flagship Group established Hopestead in 2020 with the aim of ending homelessness.
Peter Hawes, Flagship’s chairman, said: “Flagship’s mission is to solve the housing crisis and I see Hopestead’s work as crucial to fulfilling that aim.”
Hopestead will aim to broaden its efforts to end homelessness over the next year with a new campaign called Voice of Hope.
Mrs Parish said: “Voice of Hope will campaign for better outcomes for the people we support by raising awareness of homelessness and the importance of housing in general. We will urge politicians and policymakers to drive long-term positive changes that can end homelessness for good.”
