A space to call home: The Hive

Local TV

A homeless project has been launched from the Hive in Newport which aims to give people at risk of homelessness a space to feel at home. Housing Justice, Pobl and Barnardo’s have teamed up to help people find and maintain a life in their own homes.

Transcript

00:00When they interact with a volunteer, they see a friendly face and it definitely makes an impact, a huge impact.

00:08And they understand that they always ask for support and they can always receive support when they need it.

00:15There are thousands of people all across Wales who are currently battling with the prospect of homelessness,

00:20living in sheltered accommodation or struggling to find a place to call home.

00:24It's something that can have a lasting impact on people, especially families with younger children,

00:28and organisations and charities here in Newport want to do something to help get people back into a home and feel at home once again.

00:35Here at the Hive behind me, they're providing a space for people to readjust to home life with people around them to support them.

00:41Home Life is a new project in Newport which brings together the work of Pobble and the Hive space that we're sat in today,

00:48which is a community space just off of High Street, the work of Barnardo's and their kind of family hub models,

00:53so supporting families and children in temporary accommodation or otherwise experiencing homelessness.

00:58And myself, I'm here today from Housing Justice and we're bringing along our Citadel model,

01:03which is our volunteer-led tenancy sustainment model where we match people who are experiencing homelessness

01:08in temporary accommodation or in other forms of emergency accommodation with community volunteers

01:12to help them as they move into the community, into longer-term tenancies to make sure they can sustain that tenancy in the long term.

01:19It's a partnership between Housing Justice, Bernardo's and Pobble who see the benefits of real people volunteering,

01:25lending their ear, their time and their expertise for service users here.

01:29They've all come together to provide the space, the people and the knowledge and help that can bring people

01:34from some of the darkest days into a welcoming environment.

01:38Volunteers provide support, which is very much needed, and they do support clients emotionally

01:45and in other ways to safeguard the clients as well, and when they need us, they come to us

01:51and then we can support the clients better.

01:54You know, we work with everyone from families to individuals and, you know, to feel like you're giving somebody

02:02that emotional and practical support in navigating through that journey of getting back into accommodation,

02:09where possibly they haven't got that network by themselves.

02:14Space itself is a new, fresh and welcoming and gives anyone who comes in a place to feel at home

02:19and being right in the centre of Newport, plenty of people can make the most of the hive.

02:24OK, so the hive has been on Newport High Street now for just over a year, and we opened our doors in March last year.

02:30And the hive is a space that is a space, community space for everybody.

02:34It's that third space in the city centre. It's designed so that you can, you know, come into the space

02:41and feel like you have a space where you can be and belong and connect with others.

02:46So we've been open for a year and during that time we've really understood who our customer base is

02:51and recognise that there's a need to support people in Newport City Centre around homelessness

02:57and temporary accommodation in particular.

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