Green Pastures - Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY greenpastures.co.uk

Green Pastures is a Christian social enterprise that was founded in 1999, and we’ve been chasing one ambitious goal ever since: ending homelessness.

We started from a local church in Southport, offering a home to those in need on our doorstep. Since then we have empowered churches and Christian organisations nationwide to house more than 10,000 people over 24 years.

While the homelessness crisis is huge, we’re optimistic. We have seen amazing changes in people simply by giving them a key to their own home. We currently house and support over 1,500 people We do this through a network of 100 local Partners, who offer ongoing support to those in need. Our work is funded through investment; Our ethical scheme pays a return to investors and in return their funds enable our work to end homelessness.

We are seeing lives changed and transformed As our Residents are loved and supported, they move away from homelessness and towards hope and a bright future. Many find new life in Jesus and we see hundreds come to know Christ each year.

This document is an introduction to our ministry and operating model, and the people who enable our work housing and supporting those in need.

OUR MODEL & VISION

Our vision to see an end to homelessness is something that we will only achieve together:

Enabling the Church in the UK to change the lives of the homeless and marginalised.

INVESTORS PARTNERS GP TEAM

One does not work without the other.

If one slows, they all slow.

The continued growth of our ministry is only possible through our amazing Investors choosing to trust us with their funds, our inspiring Partners working hard to love and support those most in need, and our team’s commitment to serve those we work with.

We work in partnership with churches and charities, equipping Christians to provide a safe and secure home and offering compassionate wrap-around support. We are a small part of an amazing community of ministries and charities offering support to those facing homelessness.

Offering every resident the opportunity to encounter the transformational love of Jesus for themselves.

It starts with a home, but we know that true transformation and healing happens when someone comes to faith in Christ.

We love to share the love of Jesus and the life changing message of the Gospel in word and deed.

Our first role is, and always will be, to serve. We want to lead passionately and strategically, but first and foremost we want to serve the men and women who we house and partner with, and our goal will always be to give people the opportunity to know Christ for themselves. In all that we do we want people to look at us and say “those guys are a gift to the Spirit.”

SERVING JESUS FIRST

Trusting Together Working Hard Staying Humble

300

To help change the lives of 300 more residents

DREAMING BIG

Remaining Innovating Continually Focused & Sharing Improving

CARING & INSPIRING

Releasing people Working Listening, considering,

44 Another 44 churches or charities housing the homeless in partnership into ministry a team responding

OUR AIMS BY APRIL 2024

HOW IT ALL STARTED

We became a Community Benefit Society. Using this social enterprise model we don’t rely on gifts or grants to operate

Others began hearing about our ministry, and we began partnering with churches across the UK, to enable them to house those in need

2010

A church in Southport acted in response to the local need to house people sleeping rough

2003

2023

1999

2006

A bed for every person in need in Southport: one church had ended their town’s homeless crisis

2019

As our partnership network grows we reach the milestone of 1000 residents housed and supported in our homes

Working with churches and charities across the UK to house the homeless, changing lives and transforming hearts

...we’re just getting started!

FUNDED BY OUR INVESTORS

Our investors are integral to our work. Our ethical investment scheme offers the opportunity to purchase Green Pastures loan stock, with investments starting at £1000, from a minimum 12 months term.

Investors enable our work as we use invested funds to purchase property to house the homeless, often in conjunction with back finance. In return, we offer up to 5% return annually on investments.

1520 Investors in Green Pastures

£46.6m Invested Today

£1,000

Minimum Investment

1 Year Minimum Term

0-5% Interest Rate*

*We offer 4% for terms of 1-2 years, and 5% for terms 2 years and over. Many investors choose a lower interest rate to help us house more people.

FUNDED BY OUR DEVELOPMENTS

Our award-winning Developments team help churches and charities to deliver viable building projects from start to finish.

The Green Pastures Developments team of development, project and design managers have over 100 years of combined experience in the developments industry. Projects include churches, housing, and land development.

We aim to build a new bed for every bed that we buy, and with 100% of profits going towards our work housing the homeless, every development helps us to change more lives.

MATTERSEY HALL - TRAINING FOR LIFE

Mattersey Hall Training Centre is a place where remarkable transformations happen and dreams are turned into reality.

Many of our residents had come so far, showing immense potential, but were left wondering, “What’s next for me?” We knew a bespoke facility was needed to help them unleash their true potential.

We have taken up the call to train and equip workers to venture into the fields, particularly in the social sector. At Mattersey we are nurturing the next generation of compassionate Support Workers, visionary managers, inspiring leaders, and even dedicated Pastors. Our vision extends beyond the confines of our walls, as we prepare them to enter our communities and become beacons of hope and agents of change.

At Mattersey Hall Training Centre, we believe that every individual has a unique calling and the potential to make a difference. Students at Mattersey engage in daily worship and Bible study, theological training, and receive accredited NVQ qualifications - all in a beautiful, supportive Christian environment.

SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYMENT

Delicious biscuits are only half the story of our new venture...

We’ve launched a new social enterprise creating supportive job roles within our bakery for those who have experienced homelessness.

A key step towards restoration and independence for our residents is moving into supportive employment. With this in mind, we have just launched a new joint venture with our friends at Grace Enterprises to create supportive job roles employing people who have experienced homelessness.

Finding somewhere to live is not the end of the story, anyone who has spent time sleeping on the streets will face complex barriers when seeking longterm employment. By providing sufficient hours and the Real Living Wage, we empower our team members to leave supported accommodation and start a new chapter in their lives, whilst making delicious biscuits that make a difference.

We plan to create a model that allows our Partners across the UK to offer supportive employment to their residents as part of the Half the Story team - paying them a living wage and equipping them with employment experience that helps them move to independence.

OUR TEAM

We have a growing team of over 100 across more than 20 locations.

As a team we believe wholeheartedly that every person is deserving of dignity and value, there’s no place for homelessness in our modern world. That’s why we’re committed to putting all our efforts into ensuring that it becomes a thing of the past.

Directors & Founders

Our team work across Finance, Operations, Admin, Partnerships, Marketing, Developments and GP Direct departments. Find out more about our team, including Director bios on the Green Pastures website.

Andrew Cunningham CEO

Pete Cunningham Director & Co-Founder

Simon Westmacott Financial Director

Ralph Crathorne Chair of the Board

Rory Paget-Wilkes Director

Vicki Woodley Co-Founder

NEDS: Alison Gelder, Dave Smith, Francis Goodwin, Graham Ball, Rob Sturgess, Roger Tucker.

One of our residents is Chris. “I came here a shell of a man,” said Chris, who arrived at our training centre, Mattersey Hall after a troubled childhood led to drug addiction, prison and homelessness. Over the last year, Chris has grown to become a mentor at Mattersey. Healed of past traumas, with an amazing faith in Jesus, Chris has gained all the tools he needs to go and make a difference, including qualifying with an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care and completing an internship as part of the team at Mattersey Hall. Chris left Mattersey on 7th August, “I came with nothing, but after 365 days of persevering with God, now I’ve got hunger and I’ve got a drive. I’m leaving with everything I could possibly need.” Chris is off to make a difference working with a ministry in Scotland, and best of all, is getting married on the day he graduates from Mattersey!

After a traumatic childhood, filled with abuse, Steph struggled with mental illness and selfharm. “I didn’t have any care for my life or where I was going.” Steph was in and out of rehab from the age of 19, and that’s where I gave my heart to Jesus, “I realised that I could have a life of freedom and be healed from everything, and God could use me to help others.” Steph was on a mate’s sofa and met one of our Partners Caroline [from Amazing Grace Spaces], who took her in. “This is a good place of having independence but having that support. My heart now is for the homeless, the addicts, the prostitutes. I have so much love in my heart for broken people because of how broken I was.” “For me, getting to love people that are really struggling is the best feeling in the world, getting to see them find Jesus, accept Jesus, it’s amazing.”

“This is the first thing I’ve ever achieved”

“I didn’t have any care for my life”

TESTIMONIALS

“We want to save money for the future with a good rate of interest and we are thrilled that there is a way to do this that invests in such a brilliant work for good.”

Catherine East, Green Pastures Investor

“We love partnering with GP. It’s great that there is a wealth of housing knowledge and experience that we can tap into, the team are so helpful and willing to go the extra mile.”

Dave Smith, The Boaz Trust

“Green Pastures partnered with us right at the start of Hope Housing. Their belief in our vision enabled us to start and over the years we have been able to help hundreds of homeless people off the streets.”

Adam Clark, Hope Housing Bradford

“Alongside that huge resource of the bricks and mortar came the very practical help and expertise that enabled us to provide quality supported housing with a high level of excellence.”

Ricky Wright, Colraine Vineyard

Our socials accounts

Our financials

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.”