Why World Homeless Day is special this year for this group of Hartlepool young people

Young people from a Hartlepool homelessness service are celebrating having a revamped garden in time for World Homeless Day.
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Residents at Sanctuary Supported Living in Victoria Road, which supports people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, came together over the summer to refurbish their outdoor space.

Improvements included the transformation of wooden pallets into eye-catching garden furniture, the addition of colourful artwork and a brand new barbecue area.

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To mark World Homeless Day on Thursday, October 10, which aims to raise awareness of the needs of homeless people, staff and residents have been enjoying spending time together in the garden.

Sanctuary Supported Living residents Aimee Mason and Amy Summers in the new refurbished garden.Sanctuary Supported Living residents Aimee Mason and Amy Summers in the new refurbished garden.
Sanctuary Supported Living residents Aimee Mason and Amy Summers in the new refurbished garden.

Resident Ryan Marshall said: “I think I speak for everyone when I say what a sense of achievement we got from the project.

“As well as the finished garden looking incredible, we all really enjoyed working together on the improvements.”

World Homeless Day has been running since 2010 to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to the issue.

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Sanctuary Supported Living’s support assistant, Pete Butler, added: “Having an informal place to interact with each other is important for groups of any age, but particularly so for young people, and the garden really ticks that box for them.

“The residents thrived in taking responsibility for the project and built up invaluable new skills.

“It was a real community effort too – several local businesses got involved and donated some much-needed items.”

Sanctuary Supported Living is part of the leading not-for-profit UK housing and care provider Sanctuary Group.

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The centre works with homeless families and individuals, people with mental health needs, physical and/or learning disabilities, young people and others with a range of complex needs to help them on their pathway to independence through specialist, tailored support and accommodation.

The garden is not the only improvement Sanctuary Supported Living has seen this year.

For more information about Sanctuary Supported Living, visit their website by clicking here.

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