Aviva Community Fund has provided £2,484 of match funding
Learning Opportunities for Homeless People
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
Aim
Our aim is to provide 200 individuals with training about renting, budgeting and paying bills to help avoid homelessness and its causes.
Nomad are small charity with just 10 staff members. But we receive over 350 applications for support each year. Our aim this year is to offer financial workshops to 200 individuals who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. The workshops are designed to help people budget, manage their finances and eliminate some of the underlying causes of homelessness.
A Hidden Crisis
Hidden homelessness is a hidden crisis in England, affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. This hidden crisis affects 26 times more people than rough sleeping. In 2019, 280,000 people were affected by hidden homelessness. This meant they spent several nights sofa surfing, sleeping in cars, staying in B&Bs and other temporary accommodation.
Nomad’s approach consists of providing long-term accommodation and wrap around support. Our clients are offered a 3-12 month tenancy in shared accommodation. They are paired with a dedicated Housing Officer, who visits them daily or weekly according to their needs.
Underlying Causes
As the Housing Crisis continues and deepens, more and more people are at risk of homelessness. The rent on the typical two-bedroom home in England is £700 per month. The average couple in a private tenancy pays 41% of their income on rent, compared to 18% for homeowners and 30% for social tenants. But for single people under 25 who are claiming benefits the average monthly income is just £541.55. Low income can cause rental arrears and debts which can make finding somewhere to live almost impossible.
Our solution
Nomad Opening Doors offer safe, secure accommodation to single people affected by hidden homelessness. In addition to the 70 people we house each year we host workshops to help 200 people gain a better understanding of their finances and gain the vital skills they need to live independently. These interactive workshops help to educate participants about their rights and responsibilities as a private rental tenant. They are also designed to educate tenants on how to create and manage a budget, to better understand what benefits they are entitled to, and ultimately, to become financially independent.
How you can help
By choosing Nomad Opening Doors for your Aviva Community Fund pledge, you’ll be helping us to raise the funds we need to provide this service free of charge to those in need. You’ll be helping us to transform the lives of hundreds of people facing homelessness and help them to transition permanently into a home.
£5.00 would pay for the materials and refreshments for 1 cohort of participants
£10.00 is enough to help us reach out to those who need financial support and engage them to take part in this workshop
£25.00 is the delivery cost for one workshop – this includes staff time; the loan of laptops and one to one support for those who need it
£70.00 will pay for the office space needed to present this course free of charge to those in need
£100.00 is the average cost of each workshop – based on delivering the course to 4 participants per week
To find out more about our work and how you can get involved visit: nomadsheffield.co.uk
This project successfully funded on 7th December 2021