Habitat for Humanity – a charity which helps people across the world access decent housing – has opened its first community hub in the country at the ReStore in High Street.
The hub will focus on supporting women and families at risk of homelessness or housing poverty by offering resources, activities and a safe space.
Henrietta Blackmore, national director of Habitat for Humanity, said the charity hope to find areas in the community where they can “really make a difference”.
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She told the Recorder: “We really think it’s important when we join a community that, while the retail operation can help people to volunteer and donate, we want to be more than that in terms of supporting the local community.
“We developed the idea of a community hub which is really about what value could we add to help people in housing insecurity within Havering.”
Henrietta explained that the charity hopes to work in partnership with other “wonderful” organisations in the borough to fill gaps in what is offered to solve housing issues.
The hub’s launch on Tuesday, July 15 was attended by partners from the NHS, as well as other local charities and Cllr Jane Keane, who represents the St Albans ward.
The charity ran taster sessions of some of the activities it plans to run at the hub, such as upcycling furniture and household items.
While Habitat for Humanity is particularly focusing on supporting women who are vulnerable to housing insecurity at this stage, Henrietta said the plan is to grow the hub with input from the community.
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“We just want to learn – we want to hear from people,” Henrietta told the Recorder.
“As charities we often talk about being community-led, but that has to mean something in practice – which means learning and trying new things.”
Habitat for Humanity has opened a questionnaire to find out more about what housing support people need in Havering.
To find out more and fill out the survey, visit www.consultation.havering.gov.uk.
