e the homeless Enabling churches to hous
Annual
Review 2018-2019
Thoughts from the Chair of Trustees, Gavin Howard and Hope into Action tenant, Rebecca
Our Values
We LOVE
We want to be known for the depth of our love.
We carry HOPE
We are hopeful people with hope for all people.
We strive for MUTUALITY
We LISTEN
We find God’s reflection in every human.
With Open ears, we listen to Jesus in the poor.
Rebecca: ‘I was totally broken when Hope into Action came into my life. I was staying at a night shelter having been hospitalised after a drinking binge; I’d had the sweats and was vomiting blood, so my drinking was about as bad as it could possibly be. Emily, my empowerment worker, picked me up from the night shelter and took me to the house. I remember going into my room for the first time and seeing this verse on the wall.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 New International Version (NIV)
For the first time in years, I thought ‘everything is going to be OK – I’m HOME.’ I reached a year of sobriety in July 2019 and I turned 50 in August. In the future, I’d like to be a befriender; if I can help just one person the way I’ve been supported, my whole horrible journey will have been worth it. Now I feel LOVED – something I hadn’t felt for a long time before encountering Hope into Action.’
Gavin: We therefore take ACTION We focus on STRENGTHS and EMPOWER
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When we are active then our faith comes alive. (James 2)
‘By enabling churches to take a meaningful, holistic approach to caring for those facing homelessness, we can ensure that people like Rebecca are nurtured back to health at crucial times in their lives.
Everyone has strength and strengths to use.
We’ve been spoilt for choice selecting stories demonstrating our values of LOVE, HOPE, MUTUALITY, LISTENING, ACTION and STRENGTH for this Annual Report. I hope the ones featured here give you a flavour of the positive impact our work is having – and of how much further we can reach with your continued support.’
www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
@hopeintoaction
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LOVE
Levi’s story Life wasn’t going well at all for Levi; after being evicted from supported accommodation he became homeless, only avoiding sleeping rough through the generosity of one of his friends. After a couple of months, Levi moved into ‘Joy House’, a Hope into Action house in Norwich, supported by St Catherine’s Church in Mile Cross. Retired Norfolk vicar Rev Gill Bridges is an active member of St Catherine’s and one of the volunteers in its dedicated ‘Friendship and Support Group’, set up specifically to welcome, befriend and support the residents of Joy House. She explains: ‘All of this kind of thing delights me. It’s just what we should be doing as Christians. Hope into Action is exactly that: real hope and real action.’ Remembering Levi’s first meeting with the group before moving in, Rach Hartley,
Hope into Action’s Empowerment Worker recalls that he wouldn’t look anyone in the eye, but would just look down and had very little to say. One thing he did say was that his favourite sweets were sherbet lemons. When he moved into Joy House a couple of weeks later, the first thing he saw on the kitchen table was a jar of sherbet lemons. Levi remembers it vividly: ‘The sun was shining on this jar of sherbet lemons; it was like sun on a pot of treasure.’ Another lady from St Catherine’s made a cake with ‘Welcome to your new home’ written on it, which really touched Levi:
That was so special. It was like nothing I’d felt in a long time. Having all this peace and love and the welcome, I was so excited.
Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14, English Standard Version
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Having met via the Friendship and Support Group, Levi and Gill forged a generationspanning friendship, which has played a pivotal role in his transformation. They regularly meet up for coffee in the city centre, they’ve been to Norwich Playhouse to see the dance company Rambert perform and Sir Ian McKellen’s solo show (Norwich Playhouse gives Hope into Action free tickets). An avid line-dancer of 20 years, Gill has even introduced Levi to the joy of line-dancing, as he explains: ‘You get the hang of it but it’s not as easy as you think. It makes me so happy. I can’t stop laughing!’ Chatty, smiley and filled with hope for the future, Levi has transformed from a troubled, homeless teenager to a happy, houseproud 18-year-old, who’s in employment, enjoying life and honing his talent for music and songwriting. He performed one of his
@hopeintoaction
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songs, ‘Rough’, at the Hope into Action conference in front of 300 people and has also played guitar in Café Services at St Catherine’s. He explains: ‘I love it; I got scared on the first one. I was quite nervous. But then the second time around was good. It was like every time I looked at somebody they were smiling at me. They’ve made me feel at home.’
It’s the collective and determined LOVE of the church community which are the key to transformation
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HOPE
*
Louise’s story Louise’s childhood was incredibly troubled; she never knew her father and experienced terrible abuse while in foster care. At 9 years old, her mum died. All this trauma became too much to bear and by her teens Louise was using Class A drugs to escape. ‘The criminal activity I resorted to inevitably landed me in prison on more than one occasion. For years I was trapped in a cycle of chaos, crime and addiction that I just couldn’t escape from. My children had been removed from my care and things couldn’t get any worse. I knew I had to make a change when I got pregnant with my daughter (who is now nearly 4 years old). I completed a year-long rehabilitation programme and for the first time as an adult, I was clean. Everything finally seemed to be coming together; life had changed direction for the better. To cut a long and very painful story short, having managed to stay clean for 14 – 15 months, I made some bad decisions which ultimately lead to my daughter being taken away from me. I haven’t seen her since. 6
I can’t explain the pain. I was devastated and I still am. My whole world collapsed and I relapsed massively. I was lost in every way imaginable; swept away in a whirlwind of using drugs to try and escape cruel reality. I’d put my all into getting clean and everything I’d worked for was gone.’ When the odds seemed to be stacked against her, Louise made a decision to HOPE and be determined to push herself forward into a new phase of life. ‘Going back to prison became a blessing; it was through a Bible study group that I was referred to Hope into Action. Without the safe place to live they set up for me in ‘Hope House’ in Nottingham, I’d have been straight back out on the streets upon my release. Hope into Action treated me like a human being (which I wasn’t used to) and helped me turn my life around. When I was recalled to prison for a few weeks (for a historic crime), I went through all the usual health checks. I couldn’t believe it when they told me I was pregnant! Being on the Pill, it was totally unexpected. Then I had a scan and got an even bigger surprise; TWO babies! I don’t think I stopped shaking for about a fortnight; I was in complete shock to be expecting twins! I wouldn’t change it for the world though. www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
Going back to prison became a blessing; it was through a Bible study group that I was referred to Hope into Action. I couldn’t continue living in the Hope into Action house, and was incredibly grateful when the team helped set me up in temporary accommodation and source the furniture I needed. When I first brought the babies home, we had Social Services in the house every day, which was understandable, but really intense. Our amazing Social Worker took us seriously when we told her we wanted to make a go of being parents and gave us the support we needed to prove ourselves. My partner (the children’s dad) and I both admit that we weren’t good for each other in the beginning; but now we’ve turned our lives around and we’re great support for each other. Earlier this year, we were signed off by Social Services. We’re really proud that we’ve achieved this, proving that we can cope properly and work as a team to care for the twins. @hopeintoaction
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Our mentors from Hope House were from a church in Nottingham, which I still attend. The church feels like ‘family’; people really look out for you. I’ve never had that kind of support before, from family – or anyone really. There’s still a long way to go before my family is reunited and it’s still an uphill struggle; but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that without the support I received from Hope into Action, I wouldn’t be in the situation I am now.’
I can’t believe how my life has changed; I finally feel like I can make plans for the future. *The name, identity and photo in this article have been changed. 7
MUTUALITY
Bicester churches’ story ‘Jesus himself became a refugee as an infant, therefore should we not respond generously when faced with people in need?’ The ‘Churches in Bicester Refugee Support Group’ was inspired by this challenge to prepare the local community to welcome refugees and help Cherwell District Council to house and support them under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (SVPRS). Steven Rand, of Orchard Baptist Church, explains how. ‘This powerful mutuality of purpose (and crucially, finances) enabled 15 churches in Bicester to collaborate on the purchase and renovation of a Hope into Action house specifically for refugees. ‘Bicester Christian Action’ (the umbrella organisation through which money comes in and goes out) receives the rent directly from the council, then distributes any interest due to investors. 8
Cherwell District Council quickly got on board with the principle of housing refugees in homes managed according to the Hope into Action model. The fact that Bicester Christian Action is a single entity really helped when it came to Council processes. Through the ‘Parable of the Talents’, Jesus warns against squirrelling wealth away, instead encouraging to invest wisely. Rather than ‘bury’ our reserves under a stone, we encouraged the church that we must put our trust in God. The response from the church was incredibly positive and so Orchard Baptist Church put in £10,000 from its reserves, to encourage others to follow suit. Steve explains: ‘In the end, we attracted 27 investors and were able to amass £266,000 in order to purchase a house for refugees.’ Investments varied in size from £5,000 – £20,000 and those who hadn’t the resource to contribute to the bricks and mortar have provided stability and structure for the www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
tenants in myriad other ways. Volunteers from ‘Churches in Bicester Refugee Support Group’ provide practical help, including furnishing this house (as well as a couple of other houses used for Syrian refugees), befriending, orientation and language support. It’s positive for the Council to know that the Church is playing a proactive and practical role within the community; the fact that the church itself puts money into initiatives like this shows in very real terms that the Church has a vital, very active role to play in supporting and enriching the community as it evolves. Life can be unpredictable, and by consolidating the contributions of several investors, any perceived financial risk can be spread. Should an investor need to release their capital due to a change in circumstances (job loss, bereavement, serious illness, for instance) they can sell off their share once another investor has been identified. The larger the group of investors involved, the wider the pool available from which to fill any gaps that might crop up. Simply put, if you have even a very modest amount tied up elsewhere, your nest egg could be used to work for the good of God’s Kingdom. Hope into Action takes away the hassle of vetting tenants and collecting the rent, so it’s a win-win situation all round. You’d be amazed how many more investors step forward when you share your progress and tell the church family ‘we’re getting close to the finish line, we could get there with a few more contributions…’ It just goes to show that the sum total of many people’s modest ‘rainy day’ savings can make a HUGE difference to others’ lives NOW.’ @hopeintoaction
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Living Jesusfollowing lives outside of the walls of church, where we can be authentic, loving Christians is effective. We might not be able to attract people into our church to experience the joy of God’s love in community, but we can take the experience into the community to show them. Helen Baker, Community Minister, Orchard Baptist Church
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LISTEN It’s bound us together as a church and caused an amazing transformation.
St John’s Church’s Story St John’s Church in Rowland’s Castle is working in partnership with Hampshire County Council, Havant Borough Council, the Rural Refugee Network and Hope into Action to support a family of refugees. Here, Terry Monahan describes the tremendous impact this has had on the church: ‘When the refugee crisis was at its height, the vicar and I attended the Diocesan Conference, where we felt increasingly challenged to do something practical about it. We were also powerfully challenged to change the way we effectively ‘outsource’ most of our mission, by paying others to do it on our behalf.
Jesus didn’t say ‘…go and pay others to do it…’ Jesus said ‘GO AND DO IT!’
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Working at the local Food Bank, we saw an increase in the number of people who need basic food. In the face of the seemingly insurmountable issues of poverty and homelessness, we felt totally helpless as a church and found ourselves asking each other ‘what can we do about this?’. Ed Walker’s talk about Hope into Action at Spring Harvest set us off on an amazing journey. To cut a long (sometimes whiteknuckle!) story short, we attracted contributions from 12 investors, ranging between £4,000 – £70,000 and embarked on our adventure together. You’d be surprised at the assets that become available in even the most modest of congregations. Rather than blowing their pension lump sums on sports cars and/ or fancy holidays, ordinary people came forward to contribute various sums in order to build up God’s Kingdom here on earth, and storing up treasures in Heaven.
www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
Initially, there were some interesting reactions from some members of the congregation, who seemed convinced that any refugees coming to this country were either terrorists, so-called ‘health tourists’ or just here to bleed the benefits system dry. These negative responses softened over the course of a sermon series exploring what the Bible says about refugees – looking at Jesus, Joseph, The Exodus etc. A church member’s daughter-in-law then returned from Greece, where she’d been working with children and families directly affected by the crisis. As she spoke of her time in Greece, showing us photos and recounting harrowing stories of escape, the ‘tabloid headline fodder’ suddenly became personal. The church responded with a unanimous conviction that ‘these are real people and they need our help’ and even one of the most vociferous opponents actually became one of the investors in the Hope into Action house for refugees. Within a few weeks, we’d attracted investments of £240,000 and 35 people had signed up to be ‘Friends With a Purpose’ - volunteering as befrienders, investors, refurbishers, furnishers, househunters and more. @hopeintoaction
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Quite apart from the difference made to the lives of the family who moved into our Hope into Action house (which is obviously hugely important) one of the most significant outcomes has been the complete transformation of the church and the relationships within it. I’ve lived opposite Chris, who’s been in charge of the maintenance team for years. When we bought the Hope into Action house, Chris took on the responsibility for planning the refurbishment and we worked on it together every weekday. As a result, our relationship has completely changed; it’s much deeper than it was before. My friendship with Chris is just one of many which are blossoming through our involvement with the Hope into Action house, through teamwork, mutual support, spiritual conversation and a much deeper level of intimacy. It’s bound us together as a church and caused an amazing transformation. When our former vicar retired, we entered a long interregnum; the relationships forged since collaborating on the Hope into Action house made the interregnum much easier than it could have been, because people had enjoyed working together so much. As well as improving the culture within the church, our corporate prayer life has also changed significantly. We’ve had lots to pray about!’
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ACTION
Portsmouth’s Story
Image Credit: The News, Portsmouth.
Churches don’t need to boast congregations of thousands to make a massive difference in their local area, especially when God’s love is at the heart of what they’re doing. The rate of growth experienced by Hope into Action – Portsmouth shows what can be achieved when people work together towards a shared vision, as Minister of North End Baptist Church (and Chair of Hope into Action – Portsmouth), Tracey Ansell, explains:
the bricks and mortar though; meaningful relationships are what help to rebuild broken lives. Just giving homeless people a home and leaving them to get on with it without any back-up isn’t what we’re about; through the Hope into Action model, we can give them the tools and support they need to put their lives back together again. It’s about empowerment.
‘Homelessness is such a big issue here in Portsmouth. As a church, we talked and prayed about it long and hard before embarking on our Hope into Action adventure. We wanted to ensure God was on board with our ideas and to invite other churches to be involved, so that it was something that belonged to the whole city, not just our church.
Hope into Action has a robust and resilient tenant process, which has been incredibly important to us in our work to support our recovery houses. When people with addictions come out of rehab, it’s vital they have somewhere dry and clean to stay, because if their recovery has any chance of being maintained, everyone living in the house must share the same goal – to stay clear of their addictions.
When Ed and Nigel came to do a presentation outlining Hope into Action’s holistic approach to tackling homelessness in January 2018, it felt as if half the city council came along. They really bought into the idea, reassured that once the Hope into Action –
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Portsmouth franchise was set up, all they’d need to do was to keep communicating with us to help us reach the people so desperately in need of our support. The council committed £4,000 to get us registered and it’s fair to say we hit the ground running from the start; managing to get not one, but two houses up and running in record time. It’s not just about
s, Portsmouth. Image Credit: The New
www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
Portsmouth City Council has already seen the benefit of Hope into Action – Portsmouth’s work to house and befriend the city’s most vulnerable people; 92% of our tenants maintain their tenancy and they’re not reoffending. As a result of these positive outcomes, they’ve promised to hand over more council-owned properties to us to manage. Hope into Action is actively encouraging other franchises to work with their local councils. @hopeintoaction
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We have other private rental properties in the pipeline, so it looks like Hope into Action – Portsmouth is set to continue growing apace. For supporters looking for a tax efficient way of investing in God’s Kingdom, the Hope into Action model is a win-win for everyone; investors can rest assured knowing that the value of their rental property is increasing, but without all the hassle of being a landlord. It’s a no-brainer really.
The Hope into Action model is a win-win for everyone In addition to the various support groups our tenants have access to, we run a faith-based recovery course in conjunction with two other churches, which has proved really powerful. All this seems pretty impressive when you consider that North End isn’t a big, sexy megachurch – we’re just a small congregation of about 60 people. But let’s face it, when God’s involved, anything is possible.’
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STRENGTH
Julia and * Mark’s story Since opening its first home in partnership with Hope into Action in June 2017, The Selig (Suffolk) Trust has opened two new homes in the area, supporting people to get their lives back on track when things have gone wrong. Julia Hancock, Charity Manager at The Selig (Suffolk) Trust, beams with pride as she reflects on the dramatic transformation achieved by Mark, who became a tenant just over a year ago: ‘Mark is a prime example of someone who has grabbed every single opportunity he’s had and totally transformed his life. He’s an inspiration to everyone. Even the way Mark arrived in Ipswich shows his determination to make positive changes. We first met on a holiday in the Yorkshire Dales run by Housing Justice. As I listened to him speak about having used a church based winter night shelter, I could see how much being in the shelter had meant to Mark – especially the connection with the church. I had a feeling we had a vacant room in one of our Hope into Action homes in Ipswich so, after talking with Mark and the staff from the shelter he had used, we put the wheels in motion.’ Mark: ‘I went through a really rough patch. Everything just got worse and worse, I lost my job, my relationship and my kids and I ended up sleeping rough. I was addicted to cocaine and spent time in prison. My own parents turned around and said ‘I wish you were dead’. Life felt incredibly dark and I just 14
I went through a really rough patch. Everything just got worse and worse, I lost my job, my relationship and my kids and I ended up sleeping rough.
towards me, really sunburned, holding nothing but a carrier bag. It was profoundly moving to realise how much trust he’d placed in me; literally leaving everything behind to start his new life here with Hope into Action in Ipswich.’ Mark: ‘I haven’t looked back since! If it wasn’t for organisations like this, I’d still be on the streets – or worse. When you think you’re low, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel; but when something like this happens to you, it gives you hope. My life’s completely different now. I’m working full-time and I volunteered at the Ipswich Winter Night Shelter, because I wanted to give something back.’ Julia: ‘Mark’s put a lot into the volunteering; he really cares about our night shelter guests, because he’s been in their shoes. Not many people are brave enough to do what
Mark did – moving to a new place to leave temptation and unhelpful influences behind. Mark’s courage, compassion for others and the strength, grit and determination he’s mustered to change his life won him the Andy Lanning award, which was presented to him at the Hope into Action Conference.’ Mark: ‘Anyone can change with the right help – you’ve just got to put your mind to it. With Hope into Action’s support, I’ve worked really hard to repair my relationship with my family – I’ve even been home for a visit and have another visit planned. I know I can’t just jump back into the role of being ‘Dad’ – I’ve got to build trust up again. I can’t thank Julia and Hope into Action enough – I mean, where would I be now? What they do is incredible; they’ve opened the door and shown me the light.’
We should look at everyone with God’s eyes; look beyond the labels society puts on them and see what they were born to be. Only then can we empower them to fulfil their God-given purpose and potential. *The name, identity and photo in this article have been changed.
knew I had to get away. There was no going back. Thanks to God, everything lined up; I ended up having a conversation with Julia about going to Ipswich and the rest – as they say – is history!’ Julia: ‘Standing on the train station platform less than a week later, I felt so responsible. I remember it vividly; Mark was walking www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
@hopeintoaction
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YOUR STORY
This year, thanks to your support
You are part of these stories. And you are part of the stories of so many more churches and tenants. Thank you to each and every one of our supporters who volunteers, invests, gives, prays, champions us on social media, bakes and takes on sponsorship challenges and adventures. It means that we can be available week in, week out to respond to the unique needs of every one of our tenants. Your support enables churches to reach and bring healing
to people dealing with the trauma of homelessness.
More than one new home opened per month
Thanks to you, it is our privilege to work together with churches from as far as Ipswich to the Isle of Wight to offer face to face, one to one listening and love to our tenants. Your support means from the very first meeting, perhaps through to making fresh contact with family and maybe on to furnishing their own place, Hope into Action and our amazing partner church volunteers are there at every stage in a tenant’s journey.
We couldn’t do it without you!
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HOMES NOW OPEN
CHURCHES PARTNERING WITH US
WE HOUSED
250 people 212 adults and 38 children
£10,000,000
of investment capital in homes
Awarded 1st place for Innovation in Housing at the Homeless Link Excellence Awards
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www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
@hopeintoaction
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Tim Raby – one of our donors explains how giving enables him to help in a meaningful way: ‘My wife and I support Hope into Action via monthly Direct Debit and we make additional one-off donations whenever we feel prompted. It’s tremendously encouraging to read about lives and churches being transformed by the relationships which are forged through the work of Hope into Action, particularly when the joy seems equally spread between the tenants and those who walk beside them as advocates, befrienders and mentors. It’s easy to feel helpless and hopeless in the face of seemingly insurmountable global issues like the refugee crisis and human trafficking. Closer to home, homelessness is a massive, complicated issue, which looks set to continue getting worse. Hope into
Action enables us to help in a meaningful way, through regular financial support and prayer. Knowing that our contribution helps to make a real and lasting difference to people’s lives is immensely rewarding. I love the fact that Hope into Action challenges the church to look beyond itself and to think about how we can meet the needs of the people around us; people whose lives are complex and chaotic. It challenges those of us who are familiar with church, to engage with people who might not necessarily feel comfortable walking into a Sunday morning service.’
Knowing that our contribution helps to make a real and lasting difference to people’s lives is immensely rewarding.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 New International Version (NIV)
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www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
Our outcomes in numbers Our work is tailored to each tenant: their starting point and their hopes. Each tenant faces huge barriers - we don’t always get the outcomes we hope for. But we know that when relationships are positive, it facilitates holistic change. Area of holistic change
%
88%
This is down slightly from last year where it was 93%. We believe much of this is down to stronger enforcement of our rules.
86%
We housed 28 ex-offenders, 24 of whom stayed out of prison. Of the 4 that returned, we re-housed 3 and are visiting, with the partner church, the fourth.
84%
83 of our tenants acknowledged an addictive or damaging relationship with drugs or alcohol. Of those, 70 improved. 13 have worsened. Of those 13, 10 lost their accommodation.
Relationships
90%
224 of our 250 tenants demonstrated improved relationships. 45% have improved relationships with family.
Financial management
45%
95 of 212 adults were actively managing their debts. An area for us all to work on.
Mental and physical health
88%
Of the 108 tenants who stated their health was a challenge, 95 have demonstrated an improvement or stayed the same.
Volunteering, education or training
61%
That is 152 of our tenants using their time positively and building resilience.
Faith and spirituality
50%
50% of our tenants engaged in some form of spiritual activity, 20% were with faiths other than Christianity
Maintain tenancy Abstain from crime Substance misuse
Our vision is every church lovingly providing the homeless with a home @hopeintoaction
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Save the date
the homeless Enabling churches to house
2020
Friday 20th March 2020 Location: Kingsgate Community Church Peterborough PE1 4YT
Conference
We are delighted to confirm Rt Rev. Julian Henderson, Bishop of Blackburn as our keynote speaker in 2020. Last year’s speaker, Mike Royal says...
Honoured to be keynote speaker and inspired to the point of tears at Hope into Action conference 2019. Enabling the church to house the homeless ... on the cutting edge of church led community innovation. into
HOPE ACTION
H HOPE ACTION A into
Mike Royal
Hope into Action, 26 North Street, Peterborough PE1 2RA E: info@hopeintoaction.org.uk T: 00 44 (0)1733 558301 W: hopeintoaction.org.uk Twitter: @hopeintoaction Facebook: www.facebook.com/hopeintoaction Registered in England and Wales No. 7309173. Registered charity No. 1137686
HO AC
the homeless Enabling churches to house