Oasis Community Housing: Hope. Not Homelessness

11/06/2026

Shout out to superstar supporters Lily and Greg!

Have you ever thought about doing something to support your local community, but weren't sure where to start?

Lily and Greg decided to take on a self-organised marathon to raise money for our work with local people facing homelessness. Then, to raise even more, they brought family and friends together for a BBQ last weekend, where her parents held a raffle 🙌🍔☀️

The best part? Lily was inspired to support Oasis Community Housing after hearing about our work through her employer, long-term supporters Meldrum.

You don't need to run a marathon to make a difference. It could be a bake sale, a quiz night, a challenge you've always had your sights on, or simply an excuse to get people together for a good cause. Every fundraiser starts with one person deciding to do something!

We'd love to support you in creating your own fundraising challenge to help more people find a safe place to call home. Contact our team at @oasiscommunityhousing.org

A huge thank you to Lily, Greg, and everyone who has supported their fundraising journey so far 💛

10/06/2026

“I feel like - before I moved in - I had fallen off a cliff, but now I have landed on my feet.”

Harry told us this after moving into one of our supported accommodation projects, after a really difficult few months. That cliff edge is something we often hear from the people we support - that homelessness feels like any kind of solid ground has disappeared from underneath you.

That's why we see our role as providing a safe place to land, the gain the right support, and the opportunity to start rebuilding.

Since moving in, Harry has been settling into his new home, finding a routine, and slowly rebuilding his confidence with support from our team. We're so glad he feels like he's landed on his feet with us 💛

09/06/2026

07/06/2026

"It also keeps me feeling grounded."

When Phil first supported us through a sponsored walk, he didn't expect it would lead to regular volunteering at our Gateshead homelessness drop-in.

Now, he's one of the many incredible volunteers who help make our work possible 🙌

When asked what he enjoys most about volunteering, Phil said: "Getting to know staff and the people we support and feeling that I can make a small contribution to the ongoing work of Oasis Community Housing. It also keeps me feeling grounded."

That really sums up what volunteering is all about!

This Volunteers' Week, we're saying a huge thank you to Phil and every person who has volunteered alongside us over the years - whether at our frontline services, helping at fundraising events, sharing skills and expertise, or simply being there to lend a hand - we couldn't do it without you 💛

If you're involved in a church and would like to volunteer or help your local homelessness charity in other ways, you can find out more about being one of our *Church Champions* here 👉

04/06/2026

Community is built when people come together to make a difference 🌱

A huge thank you to the fantastic Amazon.com MmE2 warehouse team from Durham, who recently spent the day at our Houghton-le-Spring supported accommodation - clearing, planting and upcycling to refresh the garden for the men there, rebuilding their lives after homelessness.

We're so grateful for the time, energy and kindness they brought to the day. Thank you for helping make our community a brighter place 💛

02/06/2026

This beautiful artwork - created by the children at South Street Community Primary School - now proudly hangs in the entrance hall of one of our housing projects that helps teenagers facing homelessness.

We know how much community connections matter. So, before our Young Person's Project opened, we visited the school and many other local organisations to introduce ourselves and explain the support we offer young people who are leaving care and facing homelessness.

We were delighted when South Street Community Primary School agreed to create some artwork, inspired by our project's values. The children thoughtfully explored what words such as safe, belonging and respect meant to them - creating some truly special pieces.

What makes this even more special is that one of the young people we support used to attend the school, and has some really happy memories of his time there!

A huge thank you to everyone at South Street Community Primary School for helping our young people feel welcomed and connected to their community 💛

01/06/2026

Happy Volunteers' Week! 💛

This week, we're celebrating the incredible people who make our work possible.

Thank you to every single one of you who volunteer: our trustees, local schools, businesses, churches and community group that give your time, energy and compassion to support people on their journey out of homelessness.

Whether its decorating and improving our housing projects, fundraising, or serving hot drinks and providing a warm welcome in our drop-ins, you're making a life-changing difference every day.

To every single one of our volunteers: thank you. We simply couldn't do it without you 💛

If you're part of a church and would like to find out how you can support our work with local people facing homelessness, we'd love to hear from you! Click the link for more info 🙌 https://www.oasiscommunityhousing.org/volunteer-church-champion/

27/05/2026

Today’s Empower Social was spent painting pebbles and shells! A little something to brighten our gardens and outdoor spaces - inspired by the recent RHS Chelsea Flower Show 🎨🖌️🌼

Every month our Socials provide a safe, welcoming space where women escaping domestic abuse can come together, find calm, and connect with others. Every smile, conversation and creative moment helps remind women they’re not alone.

Our Socials are part of our wider Empower programme that works one-to-one with women, supporting them to rebuild their confidence, independence, and giving hope for the future 💛

21/05/2026

Today, Sarah Gorman, CEO of Oasis Community Housing, announced:
We are deeply saddened that our Basis drop-in, the only one of its kind in Sunderland, is facing closure.

For more than eight years, it has been a lifeline for people experiencing homelessness - having had over 23,000 conversations offering trusted support, crisis intervention, and a life-changing route out of homelessness for people who have had nowhere else to turn.

People facing homelessness; people escaping domestic abuse; veterans; people just released from hospital or prison; people battling addiction or poor physical or mental health; and many many more.

We have given extensive thought and consideration to launching a public appeal, as we know the immense value that local people place on the drop-in and the support it provides to the city. However, even with our committed community of supporters, we know from our previous public appeals that we could only raise a fraction of the funding required to keep the drop-in operating sustainably. It currently costs around £13,000 per month to run our drop-in and, unfortunately, the reality is that we would likely find ourselves back in the same position within a matter of weeks or months.

We know this because, for years now, we have been working hard behind the scenes to try and save this vital service, exploring every possible route as well as speaking to commissioners, local authority, mental health NHS Trust, partner agencies, charitable trusts and donors, in the hope of gaining the substantial longer-term funding needed to safely sustain a service of this scale.

Sadly, we are living in a time where costs are rising while funding opportunities are reducing or disappearing altogether.

It is therefore with huge regret that we are at the stage where we have had to discuss possible redundancies with our drop-in team, who have given enormous commitment and compassion to provide stability, protection and a brighter future for the people who walk through our drop-in doors.

We remain hopeful, and we are continuing to focus every energy on sourcing the significant amount required to provide the staff and people we support a safe, stable and secure specialist service for at least the next 18 months - to give us a foundation for continued conversations, planning and funding applications.

Losing the Basis Sunderland drop-in would leave a chasm of care and support for some of the most vulnerable people in our community who are already at crisis point. We are grateful to the funders and partners who have supported the Sunderland drop-in so far, and now we urgently appeal to any person of influence, major donor or charitable trust who can help keep this vital service open for local people who need it most 💛

17/05/2026

The wellbeing of the people we support is at the heart of everything we do 💛

For Mental Health Awareness Week, staff across our Peckham project have done some extra special things to remind every young person that taking care of your mental health matters.

These pamper packs were put together for everyone as a small gesture of care, kindness and encouragement to take some time for themselves!

We’ve also been bringing everyone together through pamper evenings, making vision boards of our hopes and dreams for the future, and a residents' coffee morning with some home-baked goodies. Yum!

Sometimes the smallest acts of support can have the biggest impact, and we’re proud to create spaces where young people feel valued, supported and listened to every single day ✨