Christian homeless charity active in Norwich 

Christian homelessness charity Hope Into Action currently has 12 houses in the county is looking for house number 13. Investor Janet Wilkes explains how providing a house for the charity has been a benefit.
 

The Hope Into Action model means that people experiencing homelessness are not only provided with a home, but also the friendship and support of a church. Of the twelve properties run by the charity in Norfolk, three are family homes, six are male houses and three female houses, with a total of 36 beds.  Debra Green is the Norwich Team lead. She says, "We are partnering with nine local churches of various denominations and also work closely with our local authorities and other supported housing charities."

Janet and Andy Wilkes are investors in Hope Into Action and also volunteer with the charity. Janet said, "We were left a sum of money that we thought could be used as property deposits for our children. However, neither of them were in a position to buy then, even with our help. We wanted to keep this money safe for them but felt uncomfortable about leaving it in an account for several years just making the bank richer, when there’s so much more it could be used for. Investing with Hope into Action is ideal for us because it means our money is being used to help people while remaining safe for us to have back at a later date. Effectively we have the benefit of investing in a property without any of the hassle of choosing, buying and maintaining it."

After investing, the couple became volunteers with the team from church supporting a Hope into Action house  - not the one they invested in. Janet said, "We’ve done decorating, cleaning, rubbish clearance, and built relationships with tenants. There have been some low points. It’s hard to see someone you’ve grown to care about return to old ways. But there have been many more high points as we’ve seen tenants move into their own accommodation and move on with their lives successfully."

"It feels such a privilege to get to know strong and amazing people who face awful situations and have the courage to come through them."

The charity are actively looking for their thirteenth house. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Debra on Debra.Green@hopeintoaction.org.uk

View Antonio's story on the link above to show how he has been supported by Hope Into Action

Job vacancies at Hope Into Action
There are currently two administrative vacancies at the charity. Click here for more details

Hope Into Action's Annual Conference
The charity's Annual Conference is on 7th March in Peterborough. It will be an amazing celebration of all that God has done through Hope into Action over the last year, plus we’ll be inspired for the year ahead as we worship and learn together. It is a good way to find out about the charity and to ask questions and ear from inspirational speakers. https://www.hopeintoaction.org.uk/conference-2024