30/09/2026
MAKING CHANGE FOR GOOD. ❤️
Sometimes the work that matters most is the work nobody sees.
Over the past few months, our staff and volunteers have been giving up their own free time, working evenings, weekends and outside normal hours to help people find somewhere safe to call home.
Over 40 people have been housed in just the past few weeks. Many who were street sleeping.
Behind that number are real people, real families and real lives:
• 13 mothers
• 23 fathers
• 7 sisters
• 10 brothers
• 10 daughters
• 22 sons
• 11 grandparents
People with skills, trades, families, stories and futures: mechanics, decorators, carers, roofers, builders, cable pullers, support workers, welders and so much more.
Many are now living in and around the D**e House area, some in other areas of Hartlepool, with support around them as they take their next steps.
We understand addiction. We understand that recovery isn't always a straight line.
For some, addiction can mean the difference between prison, recovery or death. We support people no matter were they are in life. Addiction comes in many forms, and behind every struggle is a person who deserves dignity, warmth, safety and a chance, that's what this is about.
Nobody should be sleeping outside.
We know there are people we would have loved to have reached sooner. Over the last three years, around 50 people have sadly died. people we would have loved to have helped. That reality stays with us and makes the work we do today even more important.
So tonight, we're taking a moment to recognise the people behind the scenes.
The staff who stay late.
The volunteers who give up their evenings.
The people who answer the phone when others have gone home.
The people who keep showing up.
Every person housed is a small step in the right direction.
Every warm bed is a small victory.
Every person choosing recovery is worth celebrating.
Every life given another chance matters.
And this is what happens when a community works together.
Our strength comes from each other.
When people come together, support one another and put that collective effort into action, real change happens.
We’re also increasingly finding that people are being referred to us by services that are funded and commissioned to support people experiencing homelessness. While we’re always happy to help where we can, it does highlight the trust people have in us and the relationships we’ve built within the community. We tend to start with “yes, let’s see what we can do” rather than “no, that’s not our remit!” Sometimes that means we end up supporting people in our own time and well beyond the work we’re formally funded to deliver.
Together we will be powerful and make things happen.
We're not here to make noise.
We're here to make change for good.
We'll keep doing everything we can to make sure people have somewhere warm and safe to rest their head.
We're proud of every single person who makes it happen. ❤️
