When you think of the places that people who are homeless stay, most of you would conjure up an image of a grotty flat, or a basic room in a hostel. Maybe its overcrowded, maybe there is no cooker or washing machine, maybe it’s quite bare, it’s probably cold.
That is the reality in some places, but it really doesn’t have to be. And at Four Square, over the last 2 years we’ve created beautiful homes for people who need them. And the impact is amazing.
Most recently we moved the 16 young people who live in our accommodation service, Stopover into a newly refurbished building. These young people are between ages of 16 and 20. Some have had a care background, some have had multiple foster homes, some have become homeless due to family breakdown.
Their old building was tired. It was quite cramped and there was no outside space or large communal space. We asked them what they wanted. It was so simple: colourful rooms; double beds; a washing line outside; a place to meet; enough tea spoons. So, we moved them to a huge building with 2- and 4-bedroom flats. It has a garden, small meetings rooms and a large living and dining space where they can meet for cooking, movies and just chat.
We didn’t have a lot of money to spend on the building, but we managed to re-floor and paint everywhere. The young people chose bright colours for their bedrooms and the whole place is fresh and inviting. We furnished all the rooms with re-used furniture from our social enterprise. All the furniture matches, it’s all in lovely condition. We put pictures and mirrors on the walls and the only thing we actually bought were about 50 funky lampshades from IKEA.
When they moved in they couldn’t believe it. Some were really emotional; others astounded; others just quiet. We got them in two days before Christmas and had a 13 foot Christmas tree too.
The impact? Lots of happy faces at Christmas, but much more than that. The young people report feeling valued; they are taking better care of their rooms and keeping flat clean; they are engaging with staff on support needs; they are staying longer; there are less incidents.
We could have spent the same money on white paint and school floors with strip lights. We could have created a hostel. But we created a home. A beautiful home. Because everyone deserves that.
Jane Devine, CEO
