providing homes - giving hope
Join in the fun and the fundraising at our latest Ceilidh and Auction on May 7th at 7pm. We’re at Calvary Chapel 1 Barbican Road, York. YO10 5AA.
Tickets are £5 (£3 concessions). To buy contact jonny.wooldridge@restoreyork.co.uk or call 07999581999
We look forwards to seeing you there as we support homeless people in York.
If you have items that we could auction please contact Jonny.
Restore: Providing Homes – Giving Hope
L to R – Ed, Anne, Al, Becki, Jonny
We start the new year with a new team. Ed Hambleton has returned from his sabbatical to be the Senior Housing Manager. Jonny Wooldridge has just been appointed as Development Officer. Anne and Al are our Housing Project Workers and Becki looks after administration. [Read more…]
Our tenants are benefitting from several generous awards recently received by Restore. The largest is from the Big Lottery Fund under the Awards for All scheme which will allow us to provide computers, laundry equipment, bikes and trips out, over and above our normal funding.
Other recent grants have come from York Common Good Trust, Albert Hunt Trust, and the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust. This is in addition to the regular giving of our supporters who help to keep our service afloat.
On the home run
It may have taken me just over 6 hours to get round the course, but it was worth every step knowing that so many people had so generously supported the work that we do at Restore. There were points, especially around mile 21 where I wasn’t sure I’d manage it but seeing family and friends around the course and being aware that so many people were praying for me was a real boost. Thanks to everyone who listened to me grumbling all year about my training runs and sore legs and to all the folks who came out to wave and cheer on the day.
Deano and brother finish York Half Marathon
The final countdown is on. The last few days at the end of a year of training for the Yorkshire Marathon. I’ve managed the Leeds Half Marathon and a couple of weeks ago in glorious sunshine I shaved a half hour off my time at the Vale of York Half.
My calves hurt, my hamstrings hurt and I feel slightly queasy every time I think about standing on the start line – and when I think about the other 26 miles for that matter. My training hasn’t always gone according to my best laid plans, but the support and sponsorship from friends, family and my church is a massive incentive to keep going. If you would like to add your support – do visit the charity choice fundraising page
and please do come out and wave and cheer on the day. I’ll be the one in the bright yellow top! Becki Dean
See also:-
We now have TWO runners in the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon on October 11th. Deano has been joined by Daniel, who is running his first marathon.
Becki Dean
Daniel Forshaw
Please support them as they train and run this gruelling race to raise funds for Restore. Our work depends heavily on donations from people like you who want to help us to provide homes for homeless people.
Your sponsorship is a great motivation for Becki and Daniel as they train and as they will eventually slog through arduous parts of the course.
Becki, Anne, Alan, Joe
This is our team in the Restore (York) Office who look after management, support and administration for our tenants. They cope with a huge workload each day and deal with our tenants with compassion and care from before they move in and throughout their stay with Restore. So when you call the office, these are the people you are likely to be speaking to. If you pray then please include these four and the many volunteers who work with them in your prayers.
Anne Wooldridge
Anne Wooldridge manages the team. Her title is Housing Development and Support Officer. She also has her own workload of tenants to support. Anne previously worked as one of our housing project workers and stepped into this new role at the beginning of the year when Ed Hambleton started his twelve month sabbatical in New Zealand. Ed is one of our founders and his return is anticipated early next year.
Are you free on Tuesday 28th April at any time between 9am and 3:30pm? Would you consider coming into the centre of town to help at our fundraising café and bric-a-brac sale? We will be setting up from 9am at the little church at the end of the Shambles, St Crux. Any time that you could give – making refreshments, serving customers or selling bric-a-brac we would be very grateful indeed.
Equally if you are unable to make it on the day, but could bake buns, cakes and other Mary Berry style delicacies, that would be an enormous help.
All the proceeds go to Restore York to directly support our tenants as they work through all the issues that prevent them having life in all its fullness.
To offer help email: office@restoreyork.co.uk or visit our Facebook page and leave a message
News has just come through that Restore has won it’s housing benefits case appealing against a decision by City of York Council to withhold part of the payment that our tenants are entitled to have.
After seven months the judge has ruled in favour of one of our tenants and the judgment is expected to be applied to all the others who are affected.
This is excellent news for them and for Restore and it will allow us to press ahead with our plans for the future in the knowledge that we are permitted to house people in what is defined as exempt accommodation.
We are aware that a lot of people have been watching this case, not least our partners in housing homeless people in York who rely on Restore to provide homes for people who need to move on from temporary accommodation. We have also been supported by our many people who have made substantial contributions to our funds and added their prayers and encouragement as we have fought this long battle.
There remain some further negotiations with the Benefits Department of CoYC please pray that they will be more straightforward now we have this decision in our favour.
Thank you to everyone who helped with this case – and especially to God for answering prayer.
I am writing this because of an urgent need for funds and I want our supporters to know how to help us at this critical time.
A success story – but one that is under threat
We are as committed as ever to our goal of providing homes for people in the City of York who are homeless or at risk of being without somewhere to live and of providing the on-going support that our tenants need to turn their lives around. The germ of an idea that was planted in late 2010 has now grown into one of the biggest providers of supported accommodation in the city and we are proud to say that we are now providing a home for twenty six people in seven houses. But our continued existence is now under threat.
A couple of months ago, the City of York Council significantly reduced the amount of housing benefit paid to a large number of our tenants. This happened without warning and without any prior discussion taking place between the council and either Restore or the tenants affected. This means that many of our tenants are no longer receiving enough money to pay their rent in full. The council has told us that they no longer qualify to live in the kind of supported accommodation we provide and that they should move into cheaper accommodation without any support services. Overnight these tenants have been deemed to be no longer vulnerable. This will have serious consequences. If these individuals are forced to move now it is inevitable that many will resume a chaotic lifestyle which will be damaging to them and society in general.
We have supported all of these tenants in their appeals against this decision but so far have been unable to resolve the matter. The council have now decided to let it be decided by a tribunal, which could take between three to eight months to deliver its verdict. We have been assured by legal and housing experts that we are likely to win this appeal. But in the short term we have to live with this decision which has cut our income by about five thousand pounds a month. Moreover, mounting an appeal will inevitably involve us incurring significant legal costs if we are to ensure the council’s unprecedented decision is overturned.
Until this unexpected turn of events, a combination of rental income and donations meant that Restore not only had sufficient income to allow it operate effectively but also had a healthy reserve set aside to enable the charity to cover the cost of unexpected events. But now, more than ever, we need to draw on the faith and goodwill of our supporters if we are to continue to offer our tenants the support they need while awaiting the decision of the tribunal.
If you believe the work Restore is doing is valuable and should continue, please consider whether you are able to make a generous donation to our funds so that we can pursue this case, continue to house and support our vulnerable tenants, and maintain this important work.
Please give this appeal your careful consideration and feel free to contact me or any of the trustees if you want to ask any questions.
Yours sincerely
Barrie Stephenson
Chairman
On behalf of the trustees of Restore (York) Ltd
How to give:
Cheque:- Payable to Restore (York) Ltd. Send to:- 65, Lawrence Street, York. YO10 3BU
By BACS transfer to:- Co-operative Bank, Sort Code 089299 Account Number 65698143
Online at:- http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/restoreyork/donate
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