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AT FLAGSHIP, WE DON’T SIMPLY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES – WE WANT TO SOLVE THE HOUSING CRISIS TOO. OVER THE LAST YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO ESTABLISH HOPESTEAD, WHICH WE INTEND TO BE OUR NEW CHARITY THAT SUPPORTS FLAGSHIP’S GOAL AND IS COMMITTED TO END HOMELESSNESS IN THE EAST OF ENGLAND.

By working in partnership with local authorities, charities and social enterprises, Hopestead aims to prevent, reduce and alleviate homelessness, help to build sustainable communities and ensure everyone has a place to call home.

We didn’t expect to launch Hopestead so soon. However, due to COVID-19 we had to think differently and ask ourselves what else we can do now. We know COVID-19 has the potential to further increase homelessness, particularly with social renters being most at risk. We have an opportunity and responsibility to #StandTogether, do something positive and help those who need it most. So, we have brought our initiative forward.

The pandemic has affected everyone and changed the perspective of many. Communities are now more important than ever. People are going above and beyond to help the most vulnerable, and we’ve seen so many great things happening across the Group. Hopestead wants to enhance this work and provide teams with additional support to help keep people in their homes – because everyone deserves a place to call home.

We will share more information as things progress, but if you have any ideas, know of areas where we can do more, or would like to offer your help – please contact us below.

@_hopestead

See Hopestead Place come to life! 

Hopestead Place is our project with @emmaus_suffolk and @new_meaning_foundation to open two modular homes to accommodation for people transitioning out of homelessness, and it’s the very first project completed under our Building Hope initiative!

Building Hope is about providing bed spaces and/or additional accommodation for those experiencing homelessness in the East of England and we’re really proud to have worked with Emmaus and NMF on this project. 

Huge thanks too to @trettfilms for producing this video and really capturing these homes as they come to life, highlighting the project’s importance and social impact in the words of Claire Staddon (CEO, Emmaus Suffolk) and John Evans (CEO, New Meaning Foundation).

We’re hoping the homes will welcome their first tenants soon – stay tuned! 

#hopestead #endhomelessness #charity #emmaus #newmeaningfoundation #construction #modularhomes #mmc #housing #ukhousing
Does this look like a lifestyle choice?

We could not disagree more strongly with the recent statements by the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, in which she expressed that the use of tents as shelter by people experiencing homelessness was a “lifestyle choice”. This came alongside plans to criminalise the use of tents by rough sleepers. 

No-one chooses to experience homelessness.

We’re glad to see that these proposals did not make up part of the King’s Speech today, because criminalising the use of tents by rough sleepers wouldn’t solve the problem. The Home Office has said that they want “…communities to feel safe and secure” and the way to do that is not to turn people who are trying to survive into criminals.

We join the call from homelessness charities and organisations across the UK for the government to follow through on its pledge to end rough sleeping – the proposal to criminalise it was never the right answer, but there needs to be a robust plan to solve it. 

Because access to a safe place to call home is a basic human right.

#hopestead #endhomelessness #roughsleeping #housing