Introducing HopeHomes

As you might be aware, there is a real shortage of truly affordable accommodation in Watford and the local area – the average rent is 41% higher in Watford than the national average, while the average salary is only 18% higher. This makes it very difficult for our service users to move on from our accommodations, when they are ready to do so, as their housing options are so limited. 

To address this need, we are launching a new service called HopeHomes – shared accommodation owned or managed by us which we let to people who’ve been homeless, but are now ready to live independently, at a rate they can afford. There will be no maximum length of stay or on-site staff – these accommodations are intended to be homes for people who have been homeless where they can live free from worries about the rent being increased or being asked to leave to make way for more lucrative tenants (the current biggest cause of homelessness in our country). People living in a HopeHome will have the option to be supported by our Tenancy Sustainment Team, like anyone who’s moved from one of our supported accommodations into their own home.

We are almost ready for four people to move into our first HopeHome, which was bought for us by a social investor and is currently being refurbished. However, before we can move people in, we need to buy furniture and other household items. As we want people to be comfortable and live in dignity – and we want the items to last – we have decided to furnish the home with new, rather than second-hand or donated, furniture, and have set up a wish list via Amazon of the items we need. 

If you would like to support this new venture and the people moving into HopeHomes, please consider buying an item from our Amazon wish list. By doing so, you will be helping someone settle into their new home and giving them the basic home comforts many of us take for granted, but which they would have gone without and may have never really had before. More than that, you’ll be giving them the best start in their new life by showing them that they are worthy of these comforts and that someone cares enough for them to give them a housewarming gift. 

Thank you.

New Hope would like to thank John Lewis for donating a new kitchen towards HopeHomes.