We are thrilled to share that we have received an incredible grant of £82,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, which will help support people in temporary accommodation across Oxford city to move to more secure housing.

Under the current lockdown measures, over 120 people experiencing homelessness have been housed in vacant hotel and College rooms across the city. The Aspire team has been working with Oxford City Council, St Mungo’s and other City partners to coordinate support for moving on to alternative accommodation, as well as the regular supply of necessities and digital connectivity, in compliance with recommended social distancing and protective measures.

Through this new funding, we will be able to renovate and bring online some new, interim accommodation in Oxford; provide beneficiaries with essential items such as house starter sets and digital connectivity; and recruit a dedicated Housing and Employment Development Worker to support people to address their specific progression needs, working towards improving employability and financial security once they have housing stability.

Paul Reid, Head of Homelessness Programmes at Aspire, says:

“This generous funding from The National Lottery gives us the opportunity to step up our response in Oxford, including to repurpose empty  residential property. This helps us to meet the urgent need for supportive, purposeful housing-led opportunities in Oxford, as emergency accommodation measures start to come to an end. We hope that this housing-led model will inspire other landlords of empty properties in Oxford to follow suit.”