Shelter Dorset

National housing and homelessness charity Shelter’s local hub in Dorset has received a Homewards Fund grant to provide a Housing Rights Worker to deliver community outreach work targeting families and young people in Bournemouth.

Shelter in Dorset will work in partnership with The Bourne Academy, a secondary school and sixth form, to engage families who might not otherwise get the help they need, targeting support before crisis point to help prevent homelessness. The partnership will include Bournemouth University who will be evaluating the impact of the project.

The Worker will deliver casework support, advice drop-ins and awareness raising sessions for parents, housing rights awareness workshops for Academy staff and tenancy rights and responsibilities advice for sixth form students to equip them to manage their own accommodation once living independently. They will provide practical assistance, advice and advocacy and links with other Shelter services, such as their legal team and DIY skills advisor, to enable households to prevent homelessness and or resettle following a period of homelessness.

“Our grant from Homewards will allow us to test a new model of working, in partnership with The Bourne Academy and Bournemouth University. We are grateful for Homewards support and hope it will make a long term difference to families and young people in West and East Howe.“

– – Kate Parker, Shelter Strategic Lead Dorset