52 - A new sofa & chair for rehoused tenants of housing charity - August 2021

We are pleased to be able to share news of our latest donation, which has seen us work with a small Sheffield housing charity, Nomad Opening Doors and £430 has been spent to buy some new furniture for two of their tenants, Sarah and Shantel.

Both these young girls are tenants with Nomad Opening Doors, a small, locally based housing charity who work to transform people’s lives and help them to transition out of homelessness and into a secure and stable future.

The girls are delighted to have been selected by 500 Together for funding for new furniture and will be moving into a newly refurbished flat in August and feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to choose their own furniture for the first time. We are grateful to them for sharing their stories - which have been anonymised to protect their privacy.

Although their stories are different and unique, there are many similarities to their journey with Nomad Opening Doors. Both had references which labelled them as ‘difficult’ or ‘troublemakers’, but their housing officers have found both to be bright, engaged young women who want to make positive changes.

Both are young and lack experience of living independently, they have had to learn essential skills like financial management, asking for help, accessing mental health support, and living well with others. For this reason, both are living in the charity's Training Flats, where tenants share with just one other person and receive the highest level of support from their Housing Officers.

This stable environment and daily support have helped Sarah and Shantel think about their futures. They are currently working closely with Nomad's Progression and Development Officer whose role is all about helping clients engage in meaningful activities and achieve outcomes in education, volunteering, and employment. Both girls have decided to pursue their education, with Sarah now studying to become a veterinary nurse and Shantel completing her access course for a place at college studying Social Work.

We have provided funds which will buy a sofa and armchair for the girls’ new flat. The charity has told us how this is about so much more than furniture, it’s about creating a home environment in which these vulnerable young people can thrive, giving them the support they need to transition out of homelessness.

We are delighted to work with Nomad Opening doors to help Sarah and Shantel.