Housing and Shelter:

Our charity's work in Great Britain

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Our projects

Great Britain

homelessness

housing and shelter

housing crisis

veterans

voluntary work

Habitat for Humanity was set up by just two people 40 years ago, and the shelter and housing charity branch in Great Britain (our local affiliate) was established in 1995.

Worldwide, 827 million people living in cities live in slums and over 100 million people are homeless. In the past 40 years, our international aid programmes have helped over 10 million people worldwide to have access to safe, decent and affordable housing.

We’ve provided homes for orphans and vulnerable families, responded to natural disasters and impacted on issues of water, sanitation and renewable energies.

Shelter and homes in the UK: responding the housing crisis

Housing charity renovating homes in England for homeless and veterans

There is a housing crisis here in the UK too. Nationally over 3 million people are significantly impacted by the high cost of housing and 600,000 children in London live under the UK poverty line.

Our team at Habitat for Humanity GB Homes (working exclusively in Great Britain) works every day to be part of the solution. We partner with corporations to secure the funds needed to send volunteers to build and renovate homes in London and in the UK.

Working closely with corporate partners and volunteers to engage deeply in the problem. We don’t just build houses, we build homes and communities – changing lives for those in housing need.

Volunteers are integral to our work, actively building alongside professionals and helping tackle housing poverty.

“We spend a lot of time in our own bubble, thinking about our own world. You look around here and you see 20 people helping out a project, making a difference.” (UK volunteer)

We’ve provided homes for people in desperate housing need, given training and life skills to excluded young people, and we’re tackling the empty homes crisis: turning abandoned and derelict houses into homes.

Our projects have also extended to providing safe and dynamic play areas to vulnerable and disabled children.

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Project updates: renovating homes around the UK

Housing for vulnerable women

Our team in the UK has been awarded this year a fund to refurbish empty properties in Lewisham in order to create new affordable housing.

On completion, the properties will be sub-leased to Housing for Women, a charity and housing association that provide homes for vulnerable women (including those fleeing domestic violence, women who have been trafficked and mothers leaving prison).

As 24dash reported: “Gareth Hepworth from Habitat for Humanity Homes said the funding was key to the success of the project given the shortage of funders willing to provide finance for small scale affordable housing projects.”

Daniel Wilson-Dodd, investment director at Big Issue Invest believes London faces its biggest housing challenge since the Victorian era.

“The London Housing Fund is addressing this crisis by investing in organisations that will create affordable housing and provide employment and training opportunities for vulnerable individuals, demonstrating an alignment with The Big Issue’s mission to eradicate poverty and create opportunity,” he said.

CSR volunteering: Haskoll Architects helped renovate a community centre

GB volunteers from Haskoll Architects help housing charity refitting community centre

A CSR volunteering project in partnership with Haskoll Architects to benefit Hibiscus Initiatives. Hibiscus support foreign national, migrant and ethnic minorities in the criminal justice and immigration system as well as in the community. Their aim is to promote human rights and access to justice by providing legal help, bringing people together and preventing re-offending.

Thank you for joining us in 2016 and being part of the solution to the UK housing crisis. As a housing charity, we cannot tackle housing poverty alone and your support is invaluable.