At our February meeting we were pleased to welcome Rev Sally-Anne Beecham, who gave a very interesting talk on Hope House, a residence for homeless men on Derby Road, Chesterfield.
Hope House came about as a result of plenty of action by many people in answer to God’s calling and the aim from the outset was that it needed to be more than just accommodation, which previous experience had proved was not the whole answer when dealing with the homeless. The property had a very bad reputation as a bed and breakfast in the past and was in a terrible state when it was taken over. Green Pastures, a Christian social enterprise which aims to end homelessness, became the owners and Hope House leases the property from them.
Using contractors and plenty of voluntary labour the building was gradually transformed and now has 13 bedrooms, a lounge, dining room, kitchen, bathrooms and other facilities. It opened in March 2021, having overcome all of the problems presented by the Covid pandemic as well. There is a manager and several support staff, so there is always someone on duty, although none of the staff actually lives in. Funding is provided partly by the residents’ support payments and by voluntary donations, sometimes by groups who combine small amounts to make a reasonable sum to donate regularly.
The project has proved successful in having a good rate of enabling residents to either settle in to Hope House or in moving on to more permanent accommodation. The aim is for each man to have about a six-month period to settle, before doing whatever is needed to help them to move on. Many have had addictions and/or learning disabilities, so much patience is needed to deal with them sensitively, but the house staff pride themselves on having very good relationships with those they are helping. They are
encouraged to learn life skills, including cooking and gardening.
Our prayers are asked for the residents, staff, volunteers and for the work being done.
For more information visit www.hopehousechesterfield.co.uk or Facebook: @hopehousechesterfield
Our next meeting is our Annual General Meeting, which will be held at 7pm on Wednesday, 2nd March, in the Parish Room. Following the formal part of the evening there will be the usual social time with Cheese and Wine refreshments, served by the committee. Everybody welcome and please bring along anyone wanting to give us a try.
Please contact me with any queries or suggestions.
Trish Law – Committee Member