Building firm gives £1,000 to homeless

A CHARITY in Leicester that helps individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness has received a cash boost thanks to one of the UK’s largest housebuilders.

Persimmon Homes North Midlands has awarded The Bridge (East Midlands) a £1,000 grant as it continues to help groups and charities in the area.

Persimmon donates up to £64,000 a month to fund initiatives as part of the highly successful Community Champions scheme.

The Bridge believes no one should face homelessness. Its vision is to see resilient, compassionate communities, where individuals thrive in safe and secure homes.

Magdalena Korytkowska, from the charity, said: “We aim to support our clients holistically; enabling individuals to tackle the root causes of their housing crisis.

“Our success rate is very high with 92 per cent of homelessness being prevented or resolved in 2020/21, throughout periods of increased high demand.

“Each of our early intervention, prevention and relief services provide information, advice and guidance to address the issues of housing and homelessness across the community.

“This £1,000 is equivalent to the cost of a week’s worth of groundwork for one of our Outreach Team colleagues to identify clients who are rough sleeping.

“By supporting us, Persimmon is making a huge difference to young people, adults and families from across Leicestershire who face financial hardship and deprivation.”

Nadine O’Dowd, sales director at Persimmon Homes North Midlands, said: “We’re delighted to have chosen The Bridge to receive our £1,000 Community Champions donation this month.

“The pandemic has seen the need for emergency food and fuel provision at a local level grow massively, which is extremely concerning.

“Around 99 per cent of the funding this organisation receives goes straight back into service delivery in helping clients, so we’re proud to play a small part in supporting the local community.” ■■To apply for Community Champions funding, visit: