A new scheme to support people experiencing homelessness has opened in Houghton-le-Spring. The Houghton project stems from a partnership between local homelessness charity Oasis Community Housing and Sunderland City Council.

Latest figures show a 46 percent rise in people sleeping rough across the North East, compared to the previous year, and the new accommodation provides flats with tailored, round-the-clock support for individuals who have experienced sleeping rough.

Over 1,300 people facing homelessness have been supported by Oasis Community Housing in the last year.

Martin Reilly, who manages the Houghton project, said: “Giving people a roof overhead doesn’t fix homelessness. This new project offers a special fit-for-purpose space where our staff work alongside residents on everything from the basics of attending doctor’s appointments to building trust and providing trauma-informed support.

“We have the privilege of helping people when they really need it, so we want to ensure we’re delivering the support people really need to live confidently and independently in their own home, when that time comes.”

Sunderland City Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities, Councillor Kelly Chequer, said: “As a City Council, we are absolutely committed to supporting the vulnerable and for those experiencing homelessness there can be other issues alongside not having their own accommodation.

“The partnership here in Houghton helps to address these matters and support people who can sometimes be among the most vulnerable members of our community.

“We can now offer a greater range of help and assistance from health and wellbeing, to general welfare and more support to help break the cycle of homelessness.”

A number of local and regional businesses including Amazon MME2 warehouse, Bowmer + Kirkland, Cushman & Wakefield, Komatsu UK, Lovell and Newcastle Building Society are donating funds or furniture to make the flats feel more homely, as well as volunteering to renovate the accommodation’s garden spaces.

Lynsey Watson was involved in Komatsu UK’s day of volunteering at the Houghton homeless project. She said: “Komatsu UK is really proud to lend a hand to Oasis Community Housing with their Joseph’s garden project. It was a tough day of hard work, especially with the weather, but we powered through and made it happen.

“We all really enjoyed ourselves and there has been great feedback amongst the team about getting involved in future projects. It felt great to be able to help out in our local community.”

Find out more about our work across the North East >>>

People who are sleeping rough are being given toiletry and food packs at homeless drop-ins and on morning outreach across the North-East, thanks to a partnership between two local charities Oasis Community Housing and Feeding Families.

Oasis Community Housing’s Project Team Leader, Stuart Dawson, explains, “The packs we give out at our drop-ins contain food that takes little or no preparation – such as energy bars, biscuits, peperamis, and chewing gum to let people freshen their breath.

“There’s toothpaste, shower gel and other toiletries that we give out too, for people to use in our drop-in showers or elsewhere.”

“Since starting our partnership with Feeding Families, the packs are there, ready to go; they immediately make people feel ‘seen’ and valued. On a practical level, it gets food into people’s bellies too. It’s been so beneficial to the people we support.”

Nutrition is a big challenge for people experiencing homelessness, with a third saying that on average they eat only one  meal a day.

In the past 12 months, Feeding Families has distributed over 46,000 packs to Oasis Community Housing, other charity partners and individuals across the region. This was a 100% increase on the previous year. 

Feeding Families’ CEO, Juliet Sanders, said, “We are delighted to support Oasis Community Housing – and over 300 other charities in the North East. By partnering together we can give people more of what they need.

“Food is such a basic need that we have to start there before we can put in other interventions. The rough sleeper packs came about through conversations with Oasis Community Housing where we listened to their expertise, which guided the content of the packs. While it’s so sad these are needed it’s so satisfying that we can give a little dignity and kindness to those in desperate need.”

Oasis Community Housing is also using the Feeding Families packs as ‘welcome packs’ for people moving off the street and into the charity’s Basis Beds flats.

The homeless charity always work with the people they support to source furniture, through donations or small grants, to ensure a place feels more like a home upon move-in.

The new welcome packs are helping people settle in, with groceries such as cereal, longlife milk and tinned fruit as well as cleaning products and other household essentials.

Last year, Oasis Community Housing supported more than 1,300 men, women and young families facing homelessness through their drop-ins, and supported flats and houses.

Find out how you can get involved in making a difference for someone facing homelessness >>>

A Sunderland business has donated two bikes to local homelessness charity Oasis Community Housing to help the people the charity work with gain more independence.

The bikes were donated from St Peters Cycles as part of Sunderland Community Action Group, for two men living in the charity’s supported accommodation project.

Journeying out of homelessness

Stewart, struggling with the trauma he experienced as a child, mental health issues and addiction, found himself homeless and sleeping on the streets.

Almost 45% of people experiencing homelessness reported suffering trauma as a child, with 90% of people impacted by trauma going on to experience mental health or emotional difficulties.

After months of rough sleeping, he found our Basis Sunderland homeless drop-in centre where he received support thanks to your donations. Now in a much better place, and at an advanced stage on his journey out of homelessness, Stuart is now the proud owner of one of the bikes donated.

Over the moon with excitement about his new bike, Stuart explained, ‘It’s going to give me a bit of independence, get me out and about. It’s good for my mental health too.’

Richy Duggan, Project Manager at St Peters Cycles, delivered the bikes to Basis Sunderland explaining, ‘Through our partnership with Sunderland City Council, St Peters Cycle Hub is flourishing. We offer a range of specialist bike services to the city.

‘One of the services we offer is the recycled bike community scheme. Our dedicated team of trained cycle maintenance staff fix the bikes up which are donated to offer them back into the community for families and people in need of a bike for free.

‘When Oasis Community Housing approached us, and when we heard about what they are about, we were more than happy to help donate some bikes. We are just doing our bit to help out as it is a fantastic charity helping lots of people across our region.’

If you know of someone in need, our Basis Sunderland drop-in runs Monday to Friday and is held at Park Road Church, SR2 8HR.

Find out more about our work with local businesses and other corporate partners on our Workplace page.

Karis is one of Oasis Community Housing’ three Mother and Baby projects, located in Gateshead and London, providing supported accommodation for young mums aged 16 – 25 years old. A mother and baby, like Sarah and her little girl.

Sarah’s story

Sarah gave birth to her daughter three months after moving into one of the charity’s Karis houses.

Being a single parent, Sarah understandably found it difficult. Yet Sarah was also struggling with the impact of her previous relationship – where she had suffered both coercive and physical domestic abuse.

Sarah’s emotions would often spill over and, as she continued to struggle, concerns grew around her capacity to care for her baby.

Our Karis project team worked closely with the health visitor to support Sarah, and additional support was gained for her through a nursery nurse, who helped Sarah with parenting and putting routines in place for her and her baby.

However, Sarah continued to struggle with her emotions and anxiety, and she would often lash out at her Oasis Community Housing support worker. We made a referral for weekly counselling sessions and Sarah also visited her GP for additional support with her mental health.

Since the counselling began, Sarah has started to feel calmer and has been able to manage her anger much more effectively. She’s found herself more motivated and able to focus on moving forward.

Recently Sarah told her support worker that she likes art, so we applied for funding to buy her some brushes, paints and other art materials – which Sarah says has helped her feel more relaxed and benefited her mental health. Earlier this year, the project also supported Sarah in enrolling on a 6-week slow cooker project and, most recently, Sarah and her daughter have started attending a local messy play group.

Sarah shares that she still has her bad days however, these are far less than they were and Sarah feels better able to manage these. She is proactively encouraging her little girl’s development and is providing an environment that is stimulating and loving.

Over the past two years, the team at Karis has given Sarah a stable and safe environment; consistently offering a blanket of support to enable her to access the services she has needed to help her positively move forward. We’re now helping Sarah and her daughter get ready to move on into their own private tenancy – where we hope she will continue to grow and positively move forward.

Follow us on social media to find out more about our projects supporting mums and babies facing homelessness >

A new piece of legislation, which could criminalise rough sleepers, is hitting the headlines this week as more than 40 Conservative MPs are expected to rebel against it.

The Criminal Justice Bill, which is being considered as a replacement for the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, proposes new powers to move people on who are sleeping rough, and criminalise them if they don’t comply, with a fine of up to £2,500 or even a prison sentence. This would apply in England and Wales.

“Rough sleepers are already at the sharp end of homelessness. We know 3 out of 4 people facing homelessness have difficulties developing trusting relationships, because of their past experiences, and these proposals would only shatter trust further between those forced to sleep on the streets and the organisations that can provide them with support,” says David Smith, CEO of Oasis Community Housing.

The Bill says someone can be considered a ‘nuisance’ if they are sleeping in a doorway, creating ‘excessive smell’ or are someone who is ‘looking like they are intending to sleep on the streets’.

David Smith continues: “Homelessness has been getting worse over the last several years, and should be considered a national crisis. Fining vulnerable people and moving them on as a ‘nuisance’ from where they are sleeping is not going to solve homelessness. This Bill simply puts more people at risk of being dehumanised and criminalised.

“To ensure people aren’t trapped in a cycle of being criminalised for rough sleeping, the UK Government must commit to implementing trauma-informed support across all homelessness services, so people can rebuild their lives.”

An amendment to the Criminal Justic Bill has been lodged by Tory MP and long-time homelessness campaigner Bob Blackman to remove the replacement powers and finally repeal the Vagrancy Act. 

Find out more about our Parliamentary work on our Tackling Trauma, Ending Homelessness campaigns page >

The Right Reverend Mark Bryant, former Bishop of Jarrow:

I met Danny just before nine o’clock one spring morning as we were both waiting for the Basis Drop-in to open. “I’m buzzing” he greeted me “I’m getting my key at eleven o’clock and I am buzzing”. This was the day Danny was at last to get a key to his own place and he had brought a couple of shirts to get them washed so that everything could be right before he moved into his new place.

All I could do was share in his joy and excitement – and be somewhat relieved that I knew that Oasis Community Housing staff would be around to support him – on this new adventure. My joy and excitement was that here was somebody who was just getting ready for a new adventure and for whom the future at last looked good and full of promise. The words of Jesus flashed into my mind “I came that they might have life and have life in all its fullness” (John 10.10).

It felt that at last Danny was getting a new glimpse of that fullness and richness of life which, as Christians, we believe God desires for every single one of his children. What I have learned over the years is that homelessness is not the real issue for many who find their way to Oasis Community Housing. Many of those who come are homeless because they have experienced often many traumas in their lives.

Early life has often been difficult and that has made it difficult as they grow up to form good and healthy relationships. It has meant that life has sometimes become unhelpfully chaotic and sometimes the pain of just being alive has been so great that the only way to dull the pain is through alcohol or other drugs.

Funding or holding down a tenancy has become simply impossible.

Circumstances have made it harder for them to glimpse that fullness of life which may have come a little more easily to others. That means that Homelessness Sunday is about far more than a concern for people who find themselves sleeping rough or living in totally inadequate housing, it is about enabling people to start to discover something of that fullness of life that is God’s desire for every member of the human family.

Over the summer the Archbishop of York – somewhat misrepresented in the secular press – spoke of the importance of the word “our” in the “Our Father” prayer. He was reminding us that God is the father of all of us. There is nobody to whom God is not father, which means, of course, that all human beings are our brothers and sisters in God. Homelessness Sunday reminds us that those who find themselves homeless or vulnerably housed are our brothers and sisters and that therefore we cannot ignore what is happening to them nor what has happened to them.

Homelessness Sunday asks us what we can do not just about people who find themselves homeless but also about a society which makes it so difficult for so many to even glimpse fullness of life as they grow up. www.oasiscommunityhousing.org

It would be wonderful if churches up and down the country could mark Homelessness Sunday as a time to pause and reflect and ask what God is asking of us who love in a nation where the fullness of life that God desires for everyone is so difficult to find. It is a time too to be thankful for Danny and the many others who are starting to discover what it can really be like.

Find out more about how you and your church can help here >>>

The North East offices of Reed in Partnership have taken part in a variety of fundraising activities and collection drives to buy and subsequently donate clothes and essential items to support people facing homelessness.

Clothes bought and donated by Reed in Partnership’s Gateshead, North Tyneside, Ashington and Peterlee offices have been delivered to Oasis Community Housing’s Basis homeless drop-in centres in Gateshead and Sunderland.

Efforts to support from across the region

Part of The Reed Group, created with the purpose of ‘improving lives through work’, Reed in Partnership provide a variety of services for people to access support with employability, health, rehabilitation and more. As an organisation their mission is to positively transform people and their communities.

The company’s Gateshead office held a charity bake sale to raise funds to buy essentials like toothpaste, sanitary products, hats, gloves and men’s underwear. In Peterlee, the office bought new men’s underwear after fundraising efforts.

The North Tyneside and Ashington offices used their monthly ‘motivational money,’ to buy new clothes to donate. Reed in Partnership reward their teams with ‘motivational money’ to buy things like a special breakfast or an item for the team’s use, such as an air fryer or a coffee machine. North Tyneside and Ashington offices chose to donate their August ‘motivational money’ to Oasis Community Housing.

Anna Warner, Partnership Manager at Reed in Partnership, explained why they chose to support people facing homelessness in the region: ‘We support Participants on the Restart Scheme, to get back into employment and lead happy lives.

‘Homelessness is a complex issue that can arise from various factors such as a relationship breakdown, losing a job or a mental health condition. One small change in a person’s financial situation could result in them losing their home or being evicted. Supporting people who are homeless is the right thing to do.’

Hazel Ditchburn, Corporate Relationship Manager at Oasis Community Housing, explained the importance of relationships like these: ‘Motivated by a visit to our homelessness drop-in and mother and baby project Anna was really keen to see what she could do to help.’

‘She quickly set to work rallying colleagues across the North East Reed in Partnership branches to fundraise and pull together this wonderful collection. It was such a lovely surprise to see and hear about everything they have been doing over the last few months, and even better to see the reaction of our frontline teams when we handed over the donations of clothing, toiletries and shopping vouchers.

‘Massive thank you to Anna and the team for making such a huge difference to our work.’

Why clothes donations are important

Our Crisis service is an integral component in our holistic approach to tackling homelessness. A key area of this service are our Basis homeless drop-in centres in Gateshead and Sunderland.

People who access our Basis homeless drop-in centres can receive support and guidance for housing, budgeting, benefit advice and more. Basis also provides facilities to do laundry, have a warm drink and pick out new clothes from our stock of clothes amongst other immediate support.

People experiencing homelessness, especially those who are sleeping rough, often have limited access to clean clothes. Which means being able to provide the people who access our Basis drop-in service in Gateshead and Sunderland is an essential service we provide in our drop-ins.

Find out more about our Crisis service >>>