Hope Street opens
In response to the growing homelessness crisis, Your Place opens new innovative 15-room accommodation project.
Your Place opened a new 15-room accommodation project called Hope Street. The Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development Tom Copley was there to cut the opening ribbon along with Your Place Chief Executive Amanda Dubarry. They were joined by local councilors, representatives from the London Borough of Newham, the Greater London Authority, some of the funders, and the project team.
Hope Street has the feel of a compact village with each room designed to empower its residents to feel a sense of ownership of both their home and their environment. As every individual is different and special, this has been reflected in the aesthetics, with each unit having a unique character. Each independent accommodation unit evokes the feeling of safety and tranquility – a peaceful and secure haven to retreat to and call home.
David, resident of Hope Street, said:
"Before moving to Caritas Anchor House, I was sleeping on the streets around Waterloo for over 20 years. Soon after moving in here, I got a room at Hope Street. It is such a relief to live in a safe and secure place now, while I refocus and regain my confidence. Since I’ve been at Caritas Anchor House things are improving drastically, and I've ended up getting a security job working for the Docklands Light Railway."
Support will be targeted towards working with residents to achieve their ambitions around employment and move on and sustaining longer-term tenancies. Residents will receive a holistic person-centred support package from Your Place staff and will be able to access the IT suite, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses, employment job coach, community engagement opportunities so they can focus on broadening out their horizons.
Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, said:
"It’s an honour to open Hope Street. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before: it is such a great use of space. Projects like Hope Street build on the great work we did during the pandemic to house people who were experiencing rough sleeping. I look forward to working with Your Place in the future to deliver more innovative projects like Hope Street."
Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive, Your Place said:
"We are thrilled to have opened Hope Street, making use of a large unused space at our main building here in Canning Town. We’ve made every effort to ensure each room has its own individual design, so that it feels unique to the person living there. We know that the challenge is not just to provide somewhere safe for the residents, but also to ensure they are ready for independent living when they leave here."
The building of Hope Street was done in partnership with the charity LandAid and architects OrsiniBrewin. It has been predominately funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), awarded by the Greater London Authority (GLA). There has also been financial support from the Homeless Link Social Investment Loan, and Homeless Link Grant. Building work was undertaken by EC1 Build.
Nicole Lasky, Land Aid, Pro Bono Development Manager, said:
Donate to help more people"Hope Street consists of 15 homes built on two levels. Not only do they provide a bed to sleep in, but they have been designed as little houses on a street, to help nurture a sense of community amongst the residents. It has been an honour to be part of this project and hugely rewarding to see the first people move in."
Amanda Dubarry, Your Place Chief Executive, welcomes Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, to Hope Street.
Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, officially opens Hope Street.
Guests celebrate opening of Hope Street.
Guests celebrate opening of Hope Street.
