The Salvation Army will be able to grow its supported housing provision, thanks to a £1.07m award by a Christian grant-making charity.
Three years’ worth of funding from the Benefact Trust will enable the church and charity to help those who are highly vulnerable but are unable to access local authority homelessness accommodation.
It comes as councils face strains on budgets, with strict eligibility criteria for housing leaving people in crisis with nowhere safe to live.
Funding will complement The Salvation Army’s existing homelessness services, commissioned by local authorities, which provide supported accommodation to more than 2,000 people every night.
Salvation Army Officer Dan Holland, who works in The Salvation Army's homelessness service, told Premier Christian News that the funding “allows us to provide a safety net for people who don’t meet the priority need criteria, and ensure some of the most people in our society do have a safe place to go.”
Nick Redmore, director of homeless services, said the church and charity was “extremely grateful to Benefact Trust for this generous grant”, which will “make a significant difference to our ability to fill a critical gap in the current homelessness system and provide vital assistance to people who without our help would be left stranded.”
“Our Lifehouses are much more than somewhere to stay. They are places where people who’ve felt ignored and abandoned will find not only practical assistance but also safety, dignity and hope. With the help of Benefact Trust, we will now be more able to step in to tackle homelessness when and where we are needed most”, he added.
Residents will each have a dedicated support worker to help them access healthcare and mental wellbeing support, find employment or training opportunities, and specialist help for debt or addiction to prepare them for independent living.
Paul Playford, senior grants and programmes officer for Benefact Trust, said: “Our ethos is to help the most vulnerable, and The Salvation Army’s commitment to offering dignity, safety and hope align deeply with our values. This funding will help ensure that people who fall through the gaps in the system are not forgotten but given the chance to rebuild their lives and given the opportunity to flourish.”