Homeless charity wins national award

Hope at Home was named Homelessness Project of the Year at the UK Housing Awards

A charity which provides furniture, flooring and appliances to those being helped out of homelessness has been nationally recognised for its work.

The Hope at Home campaign, which is ran by the Norwich-based charity Hopestead, in Norfolk, were named the Homelessness project of the year at the UK Housing Awards.

Over the last year, Hope at Home have helped 418 previously homeless people, including 154 children by providing essentials necessary to help them settle into their new homes.

Judges of the awards ceremony, which was held on Tuesday, in Manchester, described the campaign as the "most innovative project of the year".

The Hope at Home campaign competed along with nine other shortlisted projects from across the UK.

The UK Housing awards said: "Hopestead has identified a gap in the provision that too many homeless people are being dropped into empty properties.

"They worked out that when you fully furnish a home, people want to stay there. It’s a vote of confidence in its residents, a recognition that they deserve to be trusted with brand new goods."

The campaign is designed to provide living essentials including furniture and appliances to homeless people moving into homes

Hope at Home said 93% of people it had helped felt settled into their homes as a result of the project. It also showed that 97% of people were able to sustain their tenancies.

Marie-Claire Delbrouque, Hopestead’s chief executive officer, said a home should be a space where a person can "thrive and feel safe and settled" not just a roof over their head.

"This isn’t just about providing items—it’s about making sure that the people we support are treated with dignity and given agency and choice to set up a home that they can be proud of," said Ms Delbrouque.