Housing trust to receive £40,000 grant from Chiltern District Council

A grant of £40,000 has been given by Chiltern District Council this year to support the work of the Chesham-based Housing Interaction Trust.

The Trust provides free help to young people aged from 16 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and has worked collaboratively with Chiltern District Council for about 20 years.

Last year the Trust saw a 45% increase in people needing help working with 106 new clients compared with 73 in 2013/14.

Rather than increase staff the Trust has managed this surge in demand by re-allocating resources and dipping into its own reserves to deliver core housing advice, support and homelessness prevention services.

With national trends indicating demand from this vulnerable group continuing to rise specialist advice and help to prevent homelessness becomes ever-more vital and essential to the Council in responding effectively to such challenges.

Despite last year’s increased demand no Housing Interaction Trust clients needed to make homelessness applications to Chiltern District Council due to the organisation’s successful work. It’s estimated that the cost to Chiltern District Council of providing temporary bed and breakfast accommodation to the 106 young people the Trust helped in 2014/15 would have been in excess of £190,800.

The Council agreed on Tuesday 14th July 2015 to grant the Trust £40,000 to maintain its work in the district for the coming year, £10,000 of which will be drawn from the Homelessness Reserve.

Helen Ladommatos, manager of the Trust, said: ‘We are delighted to hear that Chiltern District Council have agreed to award £40,000 to Housing Interaction Trust for the current financial year. The close partnership that HIT and CDC have forged over the years, together with the grant, is invaluable to our work as a trust. We are proud to be an integral component of the local homelessness prevention programme; particularly at a time when both local and national figures indicate a growing need for such services. The grant allows us to continue to provide a full and high level of service to vulnerable young people, whilst giving them the support needed to reach their potential and benefit the community as a whole.‘