A partnership project creating life-saving and life-changing SPACE Homes for homeless people
A partnership between New Meaning Foundation, Places for People Living Plus, Fenland District Council, Allia and The Ferry Project has officially opened Jubilee Place – a development of six SPACE Homes in Cambridgeshire for people who are currently homeless.
The project came to fruition thanks to a Places for People Living Plus’ successful application to the government’s Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP) – a £433m programme which aims to deliver up to 6,000 units of supported move-on accommodation for rough sleepers over the course of the current parliament.
Built by New Meaning Foundation, this installation is the second of its kind in Cambridgeshire. New Meaning Foundation’s model is to train and employ young people and adults (including those who have experienced homelessness) so that they can earn their own living. Each home was built using MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) off-site at the Charity’s headquarters in Waterbeach, near Cambridge.
Andy Lomas, Managing Director of Places for People Living Plus explained: “We are fortunate to be working in collaboration with brilliant, likeminded partners who share a collective commitment to tackling the cycle of homelessness – not just creating homes for those currently living on the streets but helping those who are at risk or have previously been homeless by engaging them in the construction process.”
John Evans, Charity Founder and CEO of New Meaning Foundation said: “These homes will allow people to regain a sense of place and privacy whilst they rebuild their confidence and ability to rebuild their lives.”
Keith Smith, Director of the Ferry Project said “These new homes provide a wonderful place for a clients of the Ferry Project to get a fresh start. The quality of the units is wonderful and clients are already excited about moving in later this month.”
Fenland District Council has arranged for former rough sleepers to take up residence in the brand new accommodation this week. A spokesperson for the Council explained that they will still be very much in crisis mode as they adjust to having a secure and warm roof over their heads.
About the Partners
New Meaning Foundation
New Meaning Foundation is a registered charity building affordable and sustainable SPACE Homes for people who have experienced homelessness and MOJO Space Bespoke Garden Studios for the public. It exists to offer training and employment with patience for deprived young people and adults (including those who have experienced homelessness) who need help to earn their own living.
The Ferry Project
Established in 1998, The Ferry Project is an award-winning social enterprise and registered charity that helps homeless people in Fenland. The aim of Ferry Project is not simply to provide accommodation, but to give people the skills they need to enable them to live independently. These include life skills such as cooking and cleaning, education courses, vocational training, volunteering and employment opportunities. It currently provide up to eighty-eight bed spaces in Wisbech and engage with over three hundred clients per year. It is the largest provider for homelessness-related issues in the district, engaging with an estimated eighty percent of those who find themselves homeless in Fenland. Clients include people with financial problems, people fleeing domestic violence, people recovering from a family breakdown or from drug and alcohol abuse, young people leaving the care system, those who have been sexually abused, ex-offenders and those with simply nowhere else to go.
www.ferryproject.org.uk
Allia Limited
Allia is a not-for-profit dedicated to helping impact organisations and initiatives to thrive, delivering positive impact for people, planet and place. There are three Allia Future Business Centres in Cambridge and Peterborough – all offering flexible workspace, co-working and a community for people who are creating change. The Serious Impact programme helps impact entrepreneurs and ventures to explore their ideas, innovate, start-up, grow or scale-up successfully and create employment. It offers a range of finance solutions, from advice to listed and unlisted bonds, that help impact businesses to grow and deliver more social impact across the UK.
allia.org.uk
Fenland District Council
Last year, the local authority secured £198,000 to continue providing interim accommodation and support for the district’s most vulnerable following a successful bid to the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme.
Cllr Samantha Hoy is Fenland’s portfolio holder for housing and added: “Our priority is to rehome people into safe, long-term housing and ultimately prevent the most vulnerable in our society from ever returning to rough sleeping. Working in partnership with inspiring, likeminded organisations will help us achieve that.”
www.fenland.gov.uk
Places for People
Places for People is a leading affordable homes-led placemaker. It believes places work when they work for everyone. It create homes, places and communities that are sustainable economically, socially and environmentally. Places for People created £165m in social value in 2021 and contacted over 65,000 customers during the pandemic, making a difference to our customers and our communities across the country.
The Group’s award-winning placemaking, property investment, development and management companies are active throughout the UK. It owns or manages more than 219,000 homes, operates over 100 leisure facilities, employs over 9,000 colleagues, has assets of £4.8bn, and will deliver circa 6,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years through our partnership with Homes England.
Places for People Living Plus is the group’s specialist supported living provider, offering homeless people, including refugees, families and people with complex needs, a roof over their heads. It builds new homes, buys and converts existing ones, works with commissioning agencies, specialist care partners and external investors to create tailored services, and helps put people back on their feet.
www.placesforpeople.co.uk
