This month, Your Local Link is proud to introduce Restore as our Charity of the Month! This local Christian charity provides much-needed accommodation and support for people who would otherwise be homeless, working alongside those who’ve experienced homelessness to help them rebuild their lives. As they approach their fifteenth anniversary, Restore has supported over 400 people.
With an ethos based on ‘Homes, Hope and Community’, Restore provides safe, stable accommodation – but they do more than merely put a roof over someone’s head; every resident follows a personalised support package and is allocated a dedicated Housing Support Worker, who meets with them weekly to help them work towards specific goals. Restore encourages residents to engage in areas such as education, training, volunteering, counselling, exercise and the pursuit of hobbies. Once a resident is ready to move on, they receive six months of follow-up support to help them transition into the next chapter of their lives.
Restore creates a loving and enriching community, running several community hubs each week, in addition to two peer-support groups accessible to current and former residents. Former resident Mickey is now one of Restore’s peer-support group facilitators – he says:
‘I know that the people at Restore really mean it when they say they want me to do well. I’d encourage people to trust the process and engage with the support on offer, because I know from my own experience, it really helps…They’re good people, trying to help people progress.’
The charity works with the City of York Council, who refer people when they’re ready to benefit from this support, as well as with other charities that work to prevent homelessness and provide food and advice to those who are already street homeless. Restore ensures that people who want to see a change in their lives are shielded from the tide of poverty that can pull them backwards, providing realistic hope for a life beyond homelessness.
In York, there is a desperate shortage of one-bedroom properties of an acceptable standard (which are not used as holiday accommodation, and are available to local residents at a realistic rental price); due to this, the Restore team are keen to speak with York landlords who may want to collaborate, with the ultimate goal of tackling homelessness in the city – this could be achieved by contracting for regular but lower leases, which could be accomplished commercially.
It takes all of us to transform our city, and Restore has a vision where we can work together to beat the underlying causes of homelessness.
Even the smallest of donations can go a long way towards lifting someone out of the cycle of poverty and preventing future homelessness. To find out more about Restore’s important work or to make a donation, visit www.restoreyork.co.uk today.
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