A homeless project has been launched from the Hive in Newport which aims to give people at risk of homelessness a space to feel at home. Housing Justice, Pobl and Barnardo’s have teamed up to help people find and maintain a life in their own homes.
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00:00When they interact with a volunteer, they see a friendly face and it definitely makes an impact, a huge impact.
00:08And they understand that they always ask for support and they can always receive support when they need it.
00:15There are thousands of people all across Wales who are currently battling with the prospect of homelessness,
00:20living in sheltered accommodation or struggling to find a place to call home.
00:24It's something that can have a lasting impact on people, especially families with younger children,
00:28and organisations and charities here in Newport want to do something to help get people back into a home and feel at home once again.
00:35Here at the Hive behind me, they're providing a space for people to readjust to home life with people around them to support them.
00:41Home Life is a new project in Newport which brings together the work of Pobble and the Hive space that we're sat in today,
00:48which is a community space just off of High Street, the work of Barnardo's and their kind of family hub models,
00:53so supporting families and children in temporary accommodation or otherwise experiencing homelessness.
00:58And myself, I'm here today from Housing Justice and we're bringing along our Citadel model,
01:03which is our volunteer-led tenancy sustainment model where we match people who are experiencing homelessness
01:08in temporary accommodation or in other forms of emergency accommodation with community volunteers
01:12to help them as they move into the community, into longer-term tenancies to make sure they can sustain that tenancy in the long term.
01:19It's a partnership between Housing Justice, Bernardo's and Pobble who see the benefits of real people volunteering,
01:25lending their ear, their time and their expertise for service users here.
01:29They've all come together to provide the space, the people and the knowledge and help that can bring people
01:34from some of the darkest days into a welcoming environment.
01:38Volunteers provide support, which is very much needed, and they do support clients emotionally
01:45and in other ways to safeguard the clients as well, and when they need us, they come to us
01:51and then we can support the clients better.
01:54You know, we work with everyone from families to individuals and, you know, to feel like you're giving somebody
02:02that emotional and practical support in navigating through that journey of getting back into accommodation,
02:09where possibly they haven't got that network by themselves.
02:14Space itself is a new, fresh and welcoming and gives anyone who comes in a place to feel at home
02:19and being right in the centre of Newport, plenty of people can make the most of the hive.
02:24OK, so the hive has been on Newport High Street now for just over a year, and we opened our doors in March last year.
02:30And the hive is a space that is a space, community space for everybody.
02:34It's that third space in the city centre. It's designed so that you can, you know, come into the space
02:41and feel like you have a space where you can be and belong and connect with others.
02:46So we've been open for a year and during that time we've really understood who our customer base is
02:51and recognise that there's a need to support people in Newport City Centre around homelessness
02:57and temporary accommodation in particular.