John had been on the streets for three years, and had nothing except a black bag of clothes. We helped him get a flat, and he applied to the fund to furnish it. He was happy to buy cheap secondhand items, but on his benefits he couldn’t even afford them. The Empowerment Fund paid for the essentials: a bed, cooker, washer and fridge.

When Tina came to us she was a recent victim of domestic violence. Fleeing her situation, she found herself at her most vulnerable with no one and nowhere else to turn.

Having formerly worked for a service provider, Tina found it very difficult to now be the one requiring help. We needed to reassure her as she didn’t know that we would be able to support someone in her predicament.

We housed Tina in a one-bedroom home that was located close to local services that would help her to build her confidence and self-esteem. With support and Tina’s own determination to turn her situation around she soon began to find her feet and feel more like the confident person she once was.

We helped Tina to find a new home through an over 50s social housing project, and after just 98 days she was ready to move on and rebuild her life – a far cry from the anxious woman that first walked through our door.

Tina has told us how grateful she is for all the support and funding she received to help her get back on her feet. We used the Empowerment Fund to buy a new sofa and fridge for her new home, and when choosing the items Tina was overwhelmed with the help and insisted that she never could have achieved what she had in this short space of time alone.

Bill had been living in a hostel, but was struggling with it. He had a history of alcohol use which had contributed to him becoming homeless. When he came to Derventio he moved into a one-bedroom property. Unfortunately he experienced a few issues with his neighbours so we moved him to a calm house sharing with an older male. Bill settled in really well but was keen to have his own accommodation.

His housing officer supported Bill to register on Homefinder and he was offered an over-55s property within a few weeks. His housing officer accompanied Bill to the viewing and he was overjoyed with the bungalow. Bill accepted the property but needed all the furniture and furnishings. His housing officer applied to the Empowerment Fund to buy a bed and bedding for Bill, which he was pleased with. Bill is now settled and happy. He has stopped drinking alcohol and is doing really well.

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