Home Turf Lettings awarded Nationwide Grant

Nationwide, the UK’s biggest building society, has been looking to support charities dealing with the many issues around housing in the South West area, and made £500,000 available to help make a difference across communities across the region.

Now the names of those charities that have secured the grants they applied for have been announced – and Developing Health & Independence (DHI) has been confirmed as one of those that has been successful.

DHI’s social lettings agency, Home Turf Lettings, creates long term homes at affordable rents in the private rented sector (PRS), taking on properties on long leases with guaranteed rents for private landlords. DHI works across Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire, and the project will create 50 new long-term homes for vulnerable people at affordable rent by working with private landlords.

Nationwide invited applications for grants of up to £50,000 for housing projects that have the potential to strengthen communities and help make a difference in local areas, ranging from innovative new housing, improving conditions, to supporting the most vulnerable. Applications were accepted from across the South West area.

Dan Still, Nationwide’s Regional Director for the South West, said: “We know that there are many people who have been homeless or have experienced family or close friends without a home of their own, so it’s imperative that we do something about this.

“Helping people into homes of their own is at the heart of what we do as a building society, which is why we’re making funding available for local housing projects. In fact, we’re making £22 million available for the next over five years across the UK to do just this and ensure everyone has a place fit to call home.”

David Walton, Housing Director for DHI, said: “This grant for Home Turf Lettings will help us reduce homelessness across the West of England region. As well as enabling us to find more landlords and make more homes available to those most in need, we will also be using some of the grant to set up a peer volunteering scheme. People who have been in the same position as our tenants in the past will help these new tenants to maintain their tenancies and to get into employment, education and training.

“I would like to thank Nationwide for making this possible and for showing a commitment to reducing homelessness in our community.”

Rob Burrows, Assistant Branch Manager for Nationwide Bath, said: “I’m really pleased that we have been able to help DHI and Home Turf Lettings to do more of their vital work. We believe everyone should have a place fit to call home, so I’m glad to see that this £50,000 will be spent in the West of England to help people achieve just that.”

A Community Board of Nationwide members, employees and local housing experts was appointed to have a say on which local community projects were supported.