Funding boost will see new emergency accommodation created in Hartlepool to tackle homelessness
An organisation that provides support to homeless people has secured key funding to create a new home in Hartlepool.
Cornerstone Supported Housing & Counselling will adapt an existing property in the Burn Valley area into an accessible, self-contained home for people experiencing homelessness with mobility needs.
The organisation has secured £35,510 over the next three years from national homeless charity St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Cornerstone is one of just eight projects across the country to successfully secure funding from the charity’s new Access to Accommodation Fund aimed at helping grassroots organisations develop housing solutions to homelessness in their communities.
The money will be used to adapt two existing properties in Hartlepool and Durham, with the Hartlepool project due for completion in the summer.
The homes will provide emergency accommodation for up to 24 more people a year facing homelessness and living with a disability, doubling the amount of accessible homes that Cornerstone can provide.
Steve Vasey, CEO of Cornerstone Supportive Housing & Counselling, said: “There just isn’t enough accessible housing for those at risk of homelessness.
“We were trying to support a double amputee and there, quite literally, was nowhere he could go. This opportunity to double our capacity promises to be a game changer for people living with disabilities who find themselves also facing homelessness.
“It’s not just about accommodation but support too – having someone to advocate for you as you re-build and find a permanent home. It’s exciting to think our work could provide a model for other parts of the country.”
Grassroots organisations were invited to apply for up to £100,000 from the Access to Accommodation Fund and Cornerstone saw off nearly 100 applicants.
Successful projects needed to demonstrate a clear understanding of the experiences of those facing homelessness and involve people with experience of homelessness in the design, development or delivery.
Duncan Shrubsole, chief executive of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity, said: “Locally based homelessness charities are on the frontline of our housing crisis facing rising need and ever greater challenges in trying to find affordable appropriate accommodation to rehouse people in.
“We hope this programme demonstrates that new accommodation solutions are still possible and that it will encourage government, local councils and other funders to invest in similar such initiatives so more people can have a safe and secure place to call home.”