e the homeless Enabling churches to hous
Annual
Review 2020-2021
Behind Every Statistic is a Person
Welcome from our Chair of Trustees, Gavin Howard Moving house recently jogged my memory as to what a massive upheaval it is to shift your life into new surroundings. It was a big reminder to me of the terrific work that our church friendship and support groups do to help tenants settle into their new homes. I once delivered one of the last pieces of furniture to a local property which had been bought and set up to receive two women into the local church’s care. The sheer homeliness of this property was a wonderful thing to behold, down to the knitted bedspreads which adorned the comfy beds upstairs. On behalf of all the Hope into Action trustees, I’d like to express how immensely proud we are of the work our partner churches, franchisees and staff. Their resolve, professionalism and spiritual passion has been a joy to behold. We see God’s hand guiding and supporting us through the pandemic, protecting our tenants, providing new partnership, more investments and opening new houses in existing and new towns alike.
Every day your support of Hope into Action’s work, helps turn fear into freedom and hopelessness into hope. Thank you for your support in enabling us and our church partners on this mission. We hope you are encouraged by the impact below:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105, NIV
If your church has been supporting people in this way for years now, thank you. If you are wondering whether it is an area of ministry which your church could get involved with, I would ask you to pray and test any promptings which you might have received. Come to see us and ask the Lord whether this is how you might serve in the future. I hope to meet you! With love
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NEW HOMES OPENED
Outcome
Figure
Description
Demographics
315
238 (76%) were adults and 77 (24%) children. 158 (50%) tenants classed themselves as White British. 12 (8%) tenants would consider themselves to have a disability.
Maintaining Tenancy
95%
The number of tenants who remain in Hope into Action properties and/or moved on well after deducting negative move ons was 300. This equates to 95% of the total tenant cohort. 76 positive move on this year. Up from 61 in the year before
Abstaining from Crime
94%
21% of our tenants housed have previously served a custodial sentence. Of those, 94% did not reoffend. Of the 3 (6%) tenants who did return to custody, 1 (33%) we re-housed.
Reducing Drug and Alcohol Intake
88%
30% of our tenants housed have declared an unhealthy relationship with drugs and alcohol. 88% of those have maintained their usage or sobriety, reduced their dependency or became sober.
Improved Social Relationships
84%
58% of our tenants felt that they had improved their social relationships; 26% of tenants felt that they had maintained positive relationships.
Meaningful Use of Time: Volunteering, Training and Education
42%
The number of adult tenants in education, training or volunteering was 99 (42%).
Meaningful Use of Time: Employment
30%
The number of adult tenants who were in employment of all kinds (zero hours, full and part time contracts) is 72 (30%). 38 (16%) of all adult tenants were unable to work.
72%
126 (53%) tenants did not have rent arrears; 46 (19%) tenants were actively managing debt. 59 (25%) of our tenants would describe themselves as having an improving financial situation. 112 (47%) tenants paid their personal charge by standing order.
Physical and Mental Health
94%
160 (51%) of our tenants indicated that they had physical or mental health needs. 151 (94%) of these maintained or improved this during the year. There were 2 deaths (one from Covid-19), 5 pregnancies and 10 instances of overnight hospital stays.
Engaging with Faith and Spirituality
29%
90 (29%) of tenants engaged with faith over and above that provided by the Friendship and Support group. The number of tenants regularly attending church (regular here being more than once a month) was 37 (12%).
Improving Financial Management
Amidst all the uncertainties and challenges posed by Covid-19, we are secure in the knowledge that God is with us every step of the way.
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321
15 MORE TENANTS THAN LAST YEAR (300)
REFERRALS RECEIVED ACROSS THE NETWORK
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Celebrating the Church
Fishponds Baptist Church, Bristol Churches are the beating heart of Hope into Action’s work. The support and friendship they offer can be transformational; empowering people to make positive changes. Fishponds Baptist Church in Bristol supports a number of houses in the city. Since finding out about Hope into Action while in rehab back in 2017, tenant Leo has turned his life around: ‘When I finally got clean in 2020, I moved into the Hope into Action house and my whole life began to change. Instead of being judgemental, they were supportive, understanding and kind to me.’ ‘Having been neglected as a child, I truly believed there was something wrong with me; that I was just bad. It was like a secret I carried all my life and using drugs numbed the pain. Counselling helped me to understand that it was a false belief and I got a huge sense of freedom and release when I let go of it – I couldn’t believe it was gone!’
‘I volunteer at the Food Bank and I love it. I also do the ‘Soup Run’ with Fishponds, serving food to 50-80 people on the streets. Having been homeless before, I can relate to what people are going through and I make a point of talking to them.’ ‘I recommend any new tenant (especially in the early stages of recovery) get involved in voluntary work. Being a valued part of a team is good for your self-esteem and ‘the devil makes work for idle hands’ so volunteering can also help you resist the temptation to slip back into old, unhelpful habits.’ ‘Since moving into the Hope into Action house, I’ve been baptised and joined a Christian 12-Step programme. I’ve reconnected with my brother and friends, who were relieved that I finally got clean. At 56, I know that the best is yet to come.’
‘We met just before the second national lockdown at the end of October 2020, which was really hard. We walked every week (I would pray for dry weather!) so we could meet in person rather than talking on the phone.’ ‘Sam’s good company, and is a blessing to me. I pray for him every day, and ask for wisdom to know how best to support him. There are times when I still feel inadequate, but I am myself and let God do the rest.’ ‘Being Sam’s mentor has deepened my faith; it’s made me more reliant on God, trusting that He will give me wisdom to guide and advise. I’m constantly reminded of how amazing God’s grace is, it’s a wonderful thing.’
Member of Fishponds and Hope into Action mentor, Nicola Smith, describes her experience:
‘If you get the opportunity to be a Hope into Action mentor, don’t pass it up – it’s probably the most rewarding thing you will do.’
‘When first considering becoming a mentor, I felt inadequate; I didn’t want to let anyone down – especially my mentee. Before moving
While volunteering at the Food Bank at Fishponds, Peter Bowen was encouraged to become a mentor:
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. John 13: 14-15, New International Version
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to Bristol, Sam had spent 10 months in rehab with Teen Challenge. He’s just 23; around the same age as my children.’
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‘Before becoming a mentor with Hope into Action I’d been thinking for years ‘…it’s all very well going along every Sunday, but there must be more that needs doing’! I think serving people in this way satisfies an internal longing that we all have; which is that we want to help other people.’
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‘I’ve been a mentor with Hope into Action since the end of 2019 and I’ve never regretted it. It’s been an education for me; at 74, I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone and ‘unlearn’ a lot of stuff. There’s no job description; each mentee is unique, so your role as their mentor will be unique.’ ‘You can’t make any assumptions about people until you’ve got to know them personally. So many people have had a bad beginning in life, like Rick* who I meet with once a week for an hour or so. Having sought solace in drink and drugs in the past, Rick got into difficulty again following two very significant bereavements that happened very close together.’ ‘It’s so important to be consistent; if I say I’m going to meet Rick, I meet him. I listen carefully to what he says, try to get alongside him and encourage him to do the right thing. When he makes progress, I feel over the moon!’ ‘It’s such a joy to see someone fulfil their potential – especially when you suspect that they had written themselves off. I hope that I’ve given Rick hope that he can make something of the rest of his life.’ ‘I hope to continue serving Christ in a meaningful way for years to come. As friends approach retirement, I encourage them to get involved and lend their support; after all, we can’t change the world by ourselves, but if we all just do our bit, we can!’
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Reflections
On Covid-19 All crises impact the vulnerable more than the rest of society. This COVID pandemic proved to be no exception with the homeless disproportionately impacted. How did Hope into Action react?
Do to others as you would have them do to you. LUKE 6:31 (NIV)
Such a simple concept, so well known. Repeated by people of all faiths and none across the globe. But wow – how my eyes have been opened this past 18 months to 6
the way this verse is embedded in every single person involved in the work of Hope into Action across the UK. I have been powerfully moved by tales of love and mutuality. Far too many to tell here, but be assured COVID has not seen our collective work diminish, reduce or weaken. If anything, we entered lockdown with more tenacity than ever before, determined to connect and support those who often find themselves in vulnerable situations. I was reminded of 2 Timothy 1:7 ‘For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control.’ Anonymous gifts and emergency food packages were too numerous to mention. What we also saw was God’s people adapting and finding new ways to love and support tenants. Socially distanced walks, bike rides, picnics, video calls, quizzes, gifts of WiFi and devices to enable tenants to stay in touch with the outside world. There was such an amazing outpouring of love, one could only marvel at.
showed a complete reversal in roles, but demonstrated our value of mutuality in a way we’d never really appreciated pre-lockdown. Perhaps the best example that wraps this all up is the simple testimony of a tenant who saw just how much he was loved, accepted and not judged by his partner church when they not only showed up with food, but with tobacco for him. His befrienders knew he couldn’t get out due to having to self-isolate and knew him well enough to provide for all his needs. They accepted not having tobacco would have a detrimental effect on him, both physically and emotionally, at a time when he was already struggling. This tenant shared that he’d never felt so understood and loved. Wow. At a national level, the homeless were forgotten about initially. But then something truly amazing happened; the UK Government offered all rough sleepers a
This has been Hope into Action’s belief from the start. The UK Government got in touch and said they believed housing solutions were the future and that we are one of the organisations doing it best. They encouraged us to continue to invite churches from across the country to partner with us, as they believe our model is best-practice, and achieves powerful results. In response, we launched a ‘call to alms’ campaign. Many new churches have signed up. Is your church interested in providing the poorest with their primary need? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
Church volunteers doing daily magic tricks via WhatsApp to entertain children. Tenants helping the NHS by being drivers. Elderly church volunteers having to isolate and receiving help from tenants, not only
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bed in a B&B or hotel. Within a matter of a few days, over 13,000 people were found local accommodation. This number highlighted the vast need in our country. It also showed that when we offer the homeless the dignity of a quality, safe space they are more likely to engage and more likely to improve their life choices.
Kate Doran-Smith (Head of Network)
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Ed Walker (Executive Director)
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Honouring the Church
Salvation Army Peterborough One of the longest standing supporters of our work, The Salvation Army at Peterborough Citadel holds ever true to its motto ‘With heart to God and hand to man’. Well known for its brass bands, Food Banks and charity shops, the ‘Sally Army’ as it’s affectionately called does not shy away from the toughest battles. Rachel Dockerill, one of Hope into Action’s Mentors from Peterborough Citadel explains how the practical help and support offered has evolved in response to the changing realities of life – not least the recent pandemic: ‘Our collective mission is based on our faith in Jesus Christ who wants everyone to experience life in all its fullness so
we’re actively involved in all sorts of work with marginalised and struggling people. Coronavirus and the national lockdowns have made people realise how close to poverty anyone can be – having never experienced it before. Lots of people coming to our Food Bank are in desperate need and have never previously experienced loss of income.’ ‘When I began working alongside Hope into Action, I was asked to come up with a ‘mission plan’ for the year at The Salvation Army. My vision was to help in as many areas of the community as we could, through faith in action. ‘The training I received from Hope into Action was a real eye-opener. It was useful to hear about others’ experiences and to practise how we would respond to certain situations using role play. Finding out about all the other churches supporting vulnerable people in this way was really inspiring;
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow… Psalm 146:7-9
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Pre-Covid, Peterborough Citadel was doing a wonderful job of welcoming other Hope into Action supporters from far and wide by hosting our annual conference. We hope to be able to meet with you all once again.
I realised that this is something that is springing up all over the place.’ ‘Hope into Action provides a brilliant way for churches who are keen to make a difference (but might not know how) to do something practical. In partnership with each other and with God, ordinary people can be someone’s extraordinary answer to prayer.’
the rails, but the most important thing is to stand by them with compassion, love and kindness – and to pray for them.’ ‘I would encourage anyone who has felt a ‘nudge’ to support Hope into Action in any way to get involved; through prayer, through investment and by spreading the word about this fantastic organisation.’
‘Apart from anything else, it’s incredibly rewarding to see tenants turn their lives around. Coming from a hostel or from prison into a proper home is life-changing and it’s lovely to see tenants take pride in their surroundings. Some volunteered at The Salvation Army when we were short-staffed, which gave their self-esteem a real boost.’ ‘It’s not been a bed of roses though; the lockdown was particularly hard on tenants struggling with mental health difficulties and addictions. It’s hard to see someone go off @hopeintoaction
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Answers to Prayer
Mid-Sussex Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. HEBREWS 13:2
Nigel Goodenough, Executive Director of Hope into Action: Mid-Sussex describes how a house owned by a partner church became an answer to prayer: ‘Having been leased to the YMCA for about five years, we were refurbishing a lovely four-bedroom, late Victorian semidetached house. We were already working in partnership with the church, supporting single homeless men in another house and the church wasn’t entirely sure who they wanted to house next.’ ‘Being such a big house, they considered mothers with children, but drew a blank. Then they explored the possibility of using it as a house just for women, which also proved to be a dead end. When the refurbishment was complete, the church was at a loss as to what to do with this beautiful home we’d all worked so hard on together.’ ‘Just as the church took the keys to the house back, I got an email from Ed about a refugee family in crisis. Ed said he knew it 10
was ‘a long shot’ but was asking whether anyone in the Hope into Action network had a three-bed semi. I couldn’t believe it – the house was an answer to prayer!’ ‘I immediately liaised with the church, who hadn’t even thought about housing a refugee family. We invited them to visit the following week and as soon as we met, everyone knew they were the family God meant us to house.’ ‘Since moving into their new home in October 2020, the whole family has settled in really well. It was a real shame that we couldn’t offer the family the same sort of hospitality or face-to-face interaction that we normally would because of the national lockdowns, but we did our best.’
‘Hope into Action: Mid-Sussex has 12 tenants at the moment and I love all of them! They are just AMAZING people. I don’t know if I do them any good at all, but they do me so much good!’ ‘A lot of them are on their final warning and I have to tread a careful line between grace and consequence. Once, when I had to issue a tenant with a final warning, he thanked me for it, because rather than just evicting him, he knew that I was giving him a final chance.’ ‘I love seeing the friendships blossom and the way the friendship and support groups stand by tenants even when they mess up. it is so warm and loving. I’m often profoundly moved at the prayer times we have with partner churches; the passion they have for their tenants is tangible.’ ‘Many of our tenants have a massive issue with their self-worth, how they view themselves and how society views them. It’s amazing to see that begin to change; to see them somehow get to the point where they view themselves the way God sees them – full of beauty, strength and potential.’
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Matthew 9: 27-30, NIV ‘I realised that I needed to change the way that I prayed. Rather than being ‘hopeful’ when praying, I needed to challenge myself to pray in such a way that I believe that Jesus CAN do what seems impossible.’
‘We provided broadband, so that the children could participate in home-schooling and the family could maintain regular contact by video-call with their relations back in Iran.
‘On the second Monday of the month, one of our church partners has their prayer meeting. On the second Tuesday of the month STUFF HAPPENS! Prayers are answered more often than any of us realise; sometimes in an obvious way, Like for this refugee family, sometimes in ways we’ll never even know about. The point is, God hears all of them – so keep praying!’
‘The father tuned into church services via YouTube every Sunday. Before moving in he’d made a point of watching all of the church’s broadcast services, so when we came to introduce members of the church via Zoom, he already knew who they were!’ www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
‘I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years, but I’ve learned more about faith and prayer in the last four years than ever before. At a Hope into Action retreat about three years ago, Ed spoke on a passage in Matthew that really resonated with me:
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PORTSMOUTH
Franchise Friends Hope into Action – Portsmouth was set up as a franchise in 2018 and has just opened its fifth house in the city. At the time of writing, there were three more houses in the pipeline. Minister of North End Baptist Church and Chair of Hope into Action – Portsmouth, Tracey Ansell, explains: ‘We’re aiming to open as many houses in partnership with as many churches as we can here in Portsmouth. With God’s help, we’re going from strength to strength, prayerfully maintaining a healthy, sustainable momentum and nurturing natural growth. The three new houses in the pipeline won’t all be allocated at the same time; before we set up a new home, we make sure that the houses we already have are stabilised.’ ‘It’s important to recognise that these are not permanent ‘forever homes’ for our tenants, but more of a stepping stone to independent living. Using the Hope into Action model, we can give them the tools and support they need to put their lives back together again. It’s all about empowerment.’ 12
‘The support Hope into Action – Portsmouth has received from Portsmouth City Council has been amazing. When we look for tenants, we talk to the Housing Team at the council, because they know what we do and can tell us who needs housing. They’re keen to collaborate with us, due to the amazing support that our Empowerment Worker provides in addition to the Friendship and Support team, that no other organisation offers. The council contributed £15,000 towards the cost of employing an Empowerment Worker. And we are due to open a house that the council has provided to us in the next few months. The 2% return on investment we pay has enabled the council to purchase an additional housing stock, and we are hopeful it will lead to future projects.
churches have skills and personalities suited to different areas, so it’s important to make sure that tenants are matched with a church that have experience of working with those needs, or are willing to learn! Some are leaving prison, some have addiction issues, others might have entered the UK as refugees, or they might be families fleeing domestic violence.’ Each church brings its own natural giftings and can develop through working with Hope into Action.
‘It’s vital to pray about every aspect of our work, especially when it comes to linking churches to houses and tenants. Different
‘Mutual respect is so important, as is the acceptance that we all have different ways of doing things. Tenants need to be valued
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‘You can get a feel for the natural leanings of a church and the wider church family by exploring the things they do collectively. Being actively involved in ministries tackling homelessness, addiction recovery and exoffenders, indicates that they’re comfortable working alongside people who have complicated lives.’
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as equal members of the community in their own right. We should ask ourselves ‘what can our tenants teach us?’, ‘what can we do together?’ as a matter of course. ‘The biggest lesson we’ve learned on our Hope into Action journey is to ‘Let God’. To recognise that it’s Him at work – we are His hands and His feet. As long as what we’re doing in is alignment with Him, it happens. We’ve learned not to worry about the money; if it’s God’s Will, the money comes!’
s, Portsmouth. Image Credit: The New
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A Call to Alms
OUR LOCATIONS Hope into Action has houses across the country, you can see these located on the map: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Peterborough Norwich Nottingham Cambridge Isle of Wight Woking Oundle Lincoln Rowlands Castle Andover Fishponds Bristol Wellingborough Oakham Ashford Bicester Ipswich
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Reading Wolverhampton Eastbourne Midsussex Coventry Portsmouth Southampton Northumberland Bournemouth Great Yarmouth Stamford Crowland Wymondham Hemingford Grey Crawley West Bromwich
Our Vision: ‘Every church lovingly making a home for the homeless.’
In response to the Covid pandemic we soon realised the poor would be hit even more seriously than others and that need would soon be rising. With Government services reducing we felt strongly that the country and the homeless needed churches like never before. So in June 2020 we launched a ‘Call to Alms’ campaign with over 200 people attending our seminars. We are delighted to say that since then we have opened 17 new homes including in Southampton, Bournemouth, Ashford, Oakham for the first time and will soon be opening homes in Dover, Corby, Newark, Rochester, Bristol and still other new cities, as a direct result of our campaign. Each home in partnership with a different church. Evidence, once again, that the church in this country is alive and God continues to work through it, passing on His heart for the dis-enfranchised and lonely.
www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
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Jon Kuhrt – Specialist Rough Sleeping Advisor to the Government rough sleeping unit, said this during our seminar “I would really endorse you to look at Hope into Action’s model... I’m impressed with their professionalism, their compassion. Also the confidence in their Christian ethos that they are determined not to water down.”
If you would like to open a house with us, please get in touch.
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PARTNERSHIP
St Hilda’s Church, Ashford The partnership between St Hilda’s Ashford and Hope into Action is a brilliant example of how a local church can partner with specialists in housing need to give a home to those looking to rebuild their lives after a troubled past. The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, The Bishop of Kensington* Formerly a training parish, St Hilda’s Church in Ashford, Middlesex, had a few curates over the years. The last one left around 25 years ago and the curate’s house went on to generate a steady income via commercial rental. Soon after Father Joseph Fernandes came to work at St Hilda’s, he started a conversation in the parish about the curate’s house. Father Joseph explains how he felt compelled to use it for something different: ‘When there’s so much need here in terms of homelessness, I felt it would be much more missional to use the property for another purpose. HMP & YOI Bronzefield (the largest women’s prison in Europe and considered exemplary amongst the prison establishment) is close to St Hilda’s and the former curate’s house; in fact, when leaving prison, former residents walk past both of them to get to the train station.’ ‘My good friend Simeon Sturney is a ‘throughthe-gate’ chaplain at HMP & YOI Bronzefield and supports hundreds of women upon their release, accompanying them every day on this mile long walk. He suggested a tripart 16
Mary’s life has been completely transformed and restored – it’s amazing! I would hope we are a blessing to Mary. She’s been a blessing to us big time.
partnership with HMP & YOI Bronzefield and Hope into Action to house women coming out of prison and the rest is history!’ ‘The biggest lesson I’ve learned on this Hope into Action adventure has been that we’ve got to let God be in control – rather than us trying to control things! God has been so much better at putting things together than we have and has richly blessed us through our work with Hope into Action. I would wholeheartedly encourage any church www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
with assets and property like we had available to us to consider using them in this way.’ The first tenant, Mary, moved into St Hilda’s House in June 2021. Father Joseph says: ‘Mary’s story challenges deeply ingrained societal assumptions and stereotypes about ex-offenders. Before her drug habit got out of control and her efforts to fund it landed her in prison, Mary was a successful businesswoman, with a home and a family’. ‘Simeon met with Mary many times while she was a resident at HMP & YOI Bronzefield and had the privilege of journeying alongside her as she ‘re-ignited’ her faith. He’s now our Empowerment Worker, and was tailor-made for these very specific relationships. He has a deep understanding and knowledge of the prison system and genuine compassion for the residents, who are so often shunned upon their release.’ ‘Even before she moved into St Hilda’s House, Mary was met with unconditional love and acceptance from within St Hilda’s and other local churches involved in the project, through befrienders, such as the Salvation Army and Kingdom Living Church. She’s settled in and thriving now
and is always willing to share her testimony with others, telling them ‘My faith informs the person I am now’. She’s back on good terms with her ex-husband and has resumed a relationship with their children.’ ‘Mary has returned to HMP & YOI Bronzefield to work in the Visitors Centre as a cleaner. She also wants to complete her beautician training and run her own salon’. ‘Mary’s life has been completely transformed and restored – it’s amazing! I would hope we are a blessing to Mary. She’s been a blessing to us big time. BIG time!’ Father Joseph reflects fondly on a recent memorable meeting between himself, Simeon, Mary and The Right Rev Dr Graham Tomlin, Bishop of Kensington when he came to visit St Hilda’s House: ‘I had a meeting scheduled with Bishop Graham and suggested he visit the house and meet Mary. He was there for an hour or so, and was far more interested in talking with Mary than catching up with me! Seeing Mary and Bishop Graham talking together filled me with such joy. They really hit it off and their conversation was obviously very engaging and quite profound.’
Inspiring to see @StHildaAshford use their former curate’s house to give a home to people looking to rebuild their lives after tough times.
* In response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster that occurred in his diocese, The Right Rev Dr Graham Tomlin, Bishop of Kensington wrote a book entitled Why the church should care about Housing.
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Hope into Action
2021 Tenant Awards The most important part of the annual Hope into Action conference is the Tenant Awards. As last year’s conference couldn’t go ahead because of the ongoing pandemic, we hosted the awards online. People from across the country joined us via Zoom as we celebrated the achievements of our tenants over the past year. Some of the winners attended with their Empowerment Workers, and shared a few words about what their award meant to them. Every nominee received a certificate and chocolate, delivered to their doorstep by their Empowerment Workers and Befrienders. There were 38 nominations in total and it was a joy to celebrate each one. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house (or rather, on the screen) as inspirational stories and votes of heartfelt thanks were shared. After the event, we were delighted to receive a thankyou note from a former tenant: ‘I came to Hope into Action broken and afraid, leaving domestic abuse and violence. But I left a much stronger women who was able to move forward in my life. Coming to Hope into Action changed my life. 18
I have met many, truly wonderful people along the way and made new genuine friendships which I will always hold dear. I am now living and feeling joyful. Instead of struggling to barely survive. The church that supports my Hope house has become my church family and I have become part of a supportive and wonderful community. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am. I’m so thankful and grateful. I lived in a beautiful house that was made into a home by my church family, befrienders and Emily my Empowerment Worker. They are all strong inspirational women whose kindness, love and support helped me begin to trust, heal and move forward. To say thank you to these wonderful women whom I love will never be enough. But I do thank them and I am so grateful. And to Emily my Empowerment Worker who was kind, compassionate and caring, you are a wonderful and strong, inspirational woman who gave me strength when I had none. Thank you for being there, I needed you so much. Hope into Action will always be part of my family. Thank you isn’t enough. But I do thank you from the bottom of my heart.’ www.hopeintoaction.org.uk
In what has been an extremely tough year for everyone, it was such a blessing to gather together online, celebrate the positive things that have been achieved and honour the tremendous progress our tenants have made in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances.
Goodbye Yvonne
We can’t wait for next year’s awards – and have ordered plenty of Kleenex*!
This year we said goodbye to Yvonne Emery after serving as a trustee for 11 years, which is our maximum term for a trustee to serve.
* Other tissue brands are available!
2021 Hope into Action Tenant Awards • ‘Maintaining their tenancy’ • ‘Abstaining from offending behaviour’ • ‘Commitment to recovery from addiction’ • ‘Improving social relationships’ • ‘Improving their finances’ • ‘Meaningful use of time’ • ‘Improving mental health’ • ‘Improving physical health’ • ‘Commitment to education, employment or training’
Yvonne was the first person, our founder, Ed spoke to about Hope into Action. Her initial response was: ‘Why haven’t we started this thing yet.’ This embodies her ‘can do’, encouragement which continued for all 11 years of Hope into Action. Her skills and wisdom stretch from housing, marketing, HR, accountancy not to mention friend and mentor. Always helpful, never critical and brilliant in a crisis. Yvonne served with distinction, passion and commitment. We are immensely grateful.
• ‘Excellent move on’ • ‘Andy Lanning Special Award’ This award is in honour of Andy Lanning, an inspirational prison chaplain who had an amazing gift to minister into the lives of everyone he came into contact with. This award celebrates qualities that Andy stood for: resilience, forgiveness, strength and hope.
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“Inspires us to realise that we can actually do something” Rowan Williams
For more inspiring testimonies of God’s love and grace, order your copy of “A House Built on Love”. You can also find our brand new study guide on our website.
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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