by Barrie
The housing charity started in the autumn of 2010. So this year we marked the 15th anniversary with a church service, expansion of our service and more success stories of people who were experiencing homelessness who are now enjoying living in their own home.
Our MP, Local Authority, and numerous funders have shown their support for the service we provide. I lose count of how many properties we are providing. I think it’s about 16 as I write with others in the pipeline.
An exciting development is the success of our hubs. Launched as an experiment, we now employ a permanent member of staff to run them, in collaboration with local churches, as places where our residents old and new can find community and engage in various activities. As a result residents held an art exhibition in a food hall in York called Spark. I addition to displaying some excellent work, one of the food outlets raised about four hundred pounds for the charity.
Another fundraising event was the York 10k Run. At short notice I came out of retirement to run the streets of the city and managed to personally raise over £500. No ill effects afterwards and a lot of fun. I am still running regularly – usually run 5k a week but before the York Run I had valiantly increased my distance (just in case I was needed!). Joan did warn me not to run the distance, given my history of knee injuries. Thankfully the knees held up.
In the new year I will be hanging up my Chair of Trustees hat. I took on this voluntary role again temporarily at the start of 2024 and it seems right to pass it on to someone younger who can steer the charity through changes and new ventures in the future. I’m delighted to have found a replacement who will be introduced in the new year. I will remain a trustee for as long as I am needed.