Today we are in the Cornwall spending time with a fantastic charity, Harbour Housing, that provides supported accommodation and outreach services to individuals who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness. The good folks at Harbour Housing ( @HarbourHousing ) specialise in helping individuals with complex needs, including substance misuse, mental ill health and physical health challenges who often cannot access traditional support pathways. Harbour Housing has numerous services, including one dedicated to people being discharged from hospital at risk of homelessness and safe accommodation for women escaping domestic abuse and sexual violence. In more than 10 properties throughout Cornwall, Harbour Housing works alongside each client to provide specialist housing-related support to help them progress towards independent living. Harbour Housing also links beneficiaries to other more specific support services, to ensure their support plan is comprehensive and tailored to their individual needs.
Our Head of Communications Luke Upton, caught up with Rebekah Hoffman of Harbour Housing and asked, how things have changed in recent years:
“Our work and the demands we face have changed in recent years dramatically due to the cost-of-living crisis. From 2021 to 2022, we saw a 38% increase in referrals into our accommodation services. As we operate in Cornwall, the prevalence of second homes and holiday lets means that the property market is often inaccessible for many local people, whether that be for renting or buying. Therefore, to meet the growing need, we have had to increase our number of properties to accommodate at-risk people in need of support. However, due to the current housing market, we have often had to buy properties in less-than-ideal condition and renovate them to be cost effective. To help this process be more efficient, we have our own inhouse building team so we do not have to rely on external sources, this way we can get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The result of this is that we can accommodate more people, faster.”
Luke then asks, how important grants like the Community Matters Fund from National Grid are, Rebekah again; “They are hugely important for us as they allow us to take on specific projects to meet a specific need. These projects will sometimes allow us to extend beyond our normal remit as a charity. For example, through the Community Matters Fund we were able to help families on low-income, where previously we have only supported at-risk individuals facing homelessness. We were able to take measures to help those facing fuel poverty, no matter their circumstances, and proactively decrease the likelihood of people becoming homeless in our local area. We are hugely appreciative of the support from National Grid and Localgiving.”
“To give an example of the results, Mark (not his real name) from Cornwall had been ill and relying on his electric blanket to keep warm, unfortunately this broke and he couldn’t afford to buy a new one. He was offered a warm pack by one of our partners and was so grateful, as he needed to stay warm to aid in his recovery from illness. When asked to provide feedback, he stated, “It saved my life. I really didn’t expect it, I was trying to save money for another [electric blanket].”
"We were able to take measures to help those facing fuel poverty, no matter their circumstances, and proactively decrease the likelihood of people becoming homeless in our local area.”
To conclude, Rebekah adds: “What would most help us in 2023 would be more specific funding opportunities so we can run projects to decrease homelessness and help those at risk in our community. We are currently expanding our accessible hospital discharge pathway for those who are ready to leave hospital but have nowhere else to go. We are looking at increasing our level of accessible accommodation provision, as we try to combat the distinct lack of wheelchair-adapted and mobility-friendly options, which is a pervasive issue.”
Learn more about Harbour Housing by clicking here