Homelessness charity awarded £225k lottery grant

The Hope HTS team including co-founder and CEO Julie Berti (third from left) and Glynn Hannam (third from right), who was supported out of homelessness by the charity

A charity that helps homeless people rebuild their lives though supported accommodation, counselling and training has been given a grant of £225,000.

Bournemouth-based Hope Housing Training & Support (HTS) applied for the funding through the National Lottery Reaching Communities fund.

The money, which will be paid over the next three years, will fund three further support workers.

The charity said the money could not come at a more important time due to a rapid increase in people finding themselves homeless.

'Help was immense'

It said Bournemouth had seen a 168% rise in applications for help with homelessness in the past two years.

Lisa Everett who has been with the charity for over 16 years said they were "inundated" with people needing help.

She said many of those seeking support were "people who are living in their cars, they are just everyday people who have come across tough times and find themselves homeless."

Glynn Hannam, was helped by the charity eight years ago when he ended up homeless on the streets due personal struggles and drug addiction, and now works for them as a support worker.

He said: "When you first come you feel worthless but they start working with you and they deal with everything along the way... the help I got was immense.

"I spent a couple of years getting help - and now even though I am a support worker I still get the support I need here."

'A better life'

The new support workers will be with the charity's Opening Doors programme, which helps formerly homeless people get training and skills including learning to cook and manage money so they are able to live independently.

Charity founder, Julie Berti said: "Each day we are here we are changing the lives of people affected by homelessness for the better.

"Every single person matters, and every single person has the right to a better life.

"This lottery funding will enable us to bring hope to even more people who really need it."

The charity, which has 100 supported accommodation beds across Dorset, said it had helped more than 2,700 homeless people since it was founded 15 years ago.