how we help
who do we serve?
We serve vulnerable adults who need accommodation, and we aim to provide whatever support they may need in order to lead an independent life. Clients come from various backgrounds: they may be destitute, have no access to public funds, or a severely limited knowledge of English. We have an open-door policy, and try to work with people who have been turned away from other organisations. We try to do whatever we have the capacity for when somebody makes a referral: if we have no void bed spaces, we will signpost to other organisations that provide housing, and sometimes provide emergency accommodation with local hotels and B&Bs if that is suitable. Nobody deserves homelessness, no matter how ‘high risk’ they may be deemed to be. We are called by God to love our neighbour and to do as Jesus would do, and as a Christian charity, we believe that a part of that calling is serving vulnerable adults facing isolation and the streets.
what is support?
Hope Housing provides supported accommodation for the homeless. We have shared accommodation, self contained accommodation and destitute accommodation for those with no access to public funds. We have a team of excellent support workers including two Migrant Outreach Workers who speak Polish and Slovakian for our Eastern European clients. We assist people out of homeless and we help to transition them into the next phase of their lives, but this process frequently requires time and does not always happen immediately. Instead of merely giving our clients a place to live, we offer them a range of support. Support workers tailor their job to the individual's needs. Advocacy is a large part of the support that we offer; our clients may need assistance accessing public funds such as Universal Credit, or completing applications for further support. We work with a wide range of clients were English is not their first language, having a Slovakian and Polish speaking workers as well as using translation services like Language line prevent language from being a barrier to clients accessing our support. We encourage clients to work on their wellbeing and lead them on a journey that will hopefully result in them having secured a job, shelter, and living independently. This can look like English language classes, Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and regular visits to the Job Centre. In addition to the more tangible ways we support our clients, we give our destitute clients food parcels and destitute money. We help our clients apply for passports; get access to rent in advance, manage crises, check their immigration status, open bank accounts, find volunteer and employment opportunities, get them access to medicine and as much as within our capacity to ensure that our clients are on their way to positively moving on from our accommodation, in some cases we reintegrate them into the community. Homelessness is a traumatic experience, which is why the emotional side of support is so important. Providing companionship and a listening ear can be transformational. We also always try to offer prayer when it is appropriate, as we believe that anything we can try to do, God can do better, and there is no ceiling to the miracles that can happen with Him.
The Property we provide
Our in-house property manager focuses on the quality of our properties and works to grow the number of houses available for us to house the homeless. We make sure that our properties meet legal requirements, and that systems are in place for renewing safety certificates. We ensure that our properties are inspected and plan for any necessary upgrades to properties and furniture. We also work out new property costs and rental income charges and liaise with Housing Benefit to agree rent levels. We carry out appropriate housing management functions in relation to our properties and tenants. Handling tenant complaints and issues, we try to solve reasonable complaints and meet the needs that tenants may have regarding the property.