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Hopestead launches £200,000 grant fund to tackle rising homelessness

Hope Funds round 3

From left, Hopestead's director of operations Lucy Parish, programme and policy manager Bethan Bishop talk to David Powles, CEO at Norfolk Community Law Service, which has benefitted from previous rounds of Hope Funds. 

Grants of up to £20,000 will be awarded to organisations which are helping to end homelessness in a charity’s latest funding round. 

Hopestead's Hope Funds programme has helped more than 30,000 people across the East of England, funding projects from debt advice to prison leaver support and domestic abuse services.

Hopestead was launched in 2020 and is part of the housing provider Bromford Flagship.

And Lucy Parish, director of operations at the Norwich-based charity, said the fifth annual round of Hope Funds would be Hopestead’s most ambitious yet. 

Ms Parish said: "You can apply for grants up to £20,000 for projects that run for 18 months. 

“This year we're doing things a bit differently – we also wanted to provide more time and skills for our partners. We're working with Hasler White Inclusive Facilitation to provide a training bursary of £1,500 to allow our partners to upskill their staff and develop their work further."

Up to 10 projects will be funded, with the round having a total budget of £200,000.

 

Hope FUnds round 5 is launching

Participants at a workshop day for partner charities and organisations from Hope Funds round 4.

Ms Parish said Round 5 would prioritise projects that increase the availability of bed spaces and homelessness accommodation, help people move into suitable housing, or support tenancy sustainment to prevent homelessness.

Ms Parish said: "This year we're going to be using the expertise of our partners to shape our ‘community voices’ project. We're going to be learning from people with lived experience and using the expertise of frontline workers to take their voices and make change through our campaigning project, Voice of Hope."

The announcement comes as homelessness continues to rise across the UK. Latest government figures show that 370,000 people are experiencing homelessness, with 4,667 people sleeping rough on any given night – a 20% increase from the previous year.

In December 2024, 127,890 households were in temporary accommodation, the highest number since records began in 1998.

In Round 4, launched last August, 11 charities received £149,000 in grants and have already reached 65% of their projected beneficiaries.

Charities and social enterprises working to end homelessness in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire have until 1 August to apply, visit https://www.hopestead.org/how-we-help/hope-funds/Hope-Funds-Round-5/ or email weare@hopestead.org.