Grant programme helps Derventio Housing Trust transform spaces for homeless young people

Derbyshire social landlord Derventio Housing Trust is transforming the spaces of the young people it supports thanks to Centrepoint and Nationwide ‘Fairer Futures’ grant programme, More Than a Roof.

Derventio provides accommodation to around 1200 people in the UK who would otherwise not have a home, along with additional support programmes to help residents on to a more positive pathway. Last year around a fifth of Derventio’s residents were young people aged between 18 and 25.

With the grant, Derventio is upgrading 90 rooms throughout its accommodation. Young people will be kitting out their rooms with a range of new soft furnishings such as curtains, rugs, bedding, decorative items including plants, pictures, and mirrors, and electrical goods like lights, kettles, and toasters.

The More Than a Roof: Personalisation Grant programme, funded by Nationwide, has been made available to Centrepoint’s network of partners. In Round 1, over 25 partners across the UK were able to access a pot of £200,000. In Round 2 a further £200,000 will be distributed to 21 partners.

The grant programme is just one part of Centrepoint’s partnership with Nationwide as part of their social impact strategy, Fairer Futures. Nationwide Fairer Futures aims to tackle four of the UK’s biggest social issues through charity partnerships – youth homelessness (Centrepoint), family poverty (Action for Children), the challenges faced by people living with dementia (Dementia UK) and supporting people affected by cancer (The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity).

Sarah Hernandez, managing director at Derventio Housing Trust, said:

We are delighted to have been granted this vital ‘More than a Roof’ funding to help the wellbeing of young people accessing our services. Many don’t know how many young people in the UK are experiencing homelessness and this funding will help us do so much for the under-25s accessing our services. Thank you so much to Nationwide and Centrepoint, we look forward to sharing stories of the impact this funding will have.

Charlotte Kensett, Director of Customer Experience and Social Impact at Nationwide, said:

For young people facing homelessness, supported accommodation is a lifeline. Through Nationwide Fairer Futures and our partnership with Centrepoint we’re proud to make a difference to young people’s lives by helping them make their space feel like home – creating a sense of safety and stability that’s crucial for their wellbeing.

Lisa Waring, Head of Partnerships at Centrepoint, said:

For many young people in supported accommodation, the room they are given may be the first safe space they have ever had. Having the opportunity to put their own stamp on these spaces and make them homely can make a world of difference as they work towards rebuilding their lives.

It has been fantastic to see the enormous difference the first round of funding has made to the young people our partners support and we look forward to helping more access this transformative grant. We cannot thank Nationwide enough for partnering with us and giving us the resources to extend this support beyond our services.