A new scheme to support people experiencing homelessness has opened in Houghton-le-Spring. The Houghton project stems from a partnership between local homelessness charity Oasis Community Housing and Sunderland City Council.
Latest figures show a 46 percent rise in people sleeping rough across the North East, compared to the previous year, and the new accommodation provides flats with tailored, round-the-clock support for individuals who have experienced sleeping rough.
Over 1,300 people facing homelessness have been supported by Oasis Community Housing in the last year.
Martin Reilly, who manages the Houghton project, said: “Giving people a roof overhead doesn’t fix homelessness. This new project offers a special fit-for-purpose space where our staff work alongside residents on everything from the basics of attending doctor’s appointments to building trust and providing trauma-informed support.
“We have the privilege of helping people when they really need it, so we want to ensure we’re delivering the support people really need to live confidently and independently in their own home, when that time comes.”
Sunderland City Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities, Councillor Kelly Chequer, said: “As a City Council, we are absolutely committed to supporting the vulnerable and for those experiencing homelessness there can be other issues alongside not having their own accommodation.
“The partnership here in Houghton helps to address these matters and support people who can sometimes be among the most vulnerable members of our community.
“We can now offer a greater range of help and assistance from health and wellbeing, to general welfare and more support to help break the cycle of homelessness.”
A number of local and regional businesses including Amazon MME2 warehouse, Bowmer + Kirkland, Cushman & Wakefield, Komatsu UK, Lovell and Newcastle Building Society are donating funds or furniture to make the flats feel more homely, as well as volunteering to renovate the accommodation’s garden spaces.
Lynsey Watson was involved in Komatsu UK’s day of volunteering at the Houghton homeless project. She said: “Komatsu UK is really proud to lend a hand to Oasis Community Housing with their Joseph’s garden project. It was a tough day of hard work, especially with the weather, but we powered through and made it happen.
“We all really enjoyed ourselves and there has been great feedback amongst the team about getting involved in future projects. It felt great to be able to help out in our local community.”