Derbyshire trust Derventio wins award after housing more than 1,000 facing homelessness in a year

A housing trust which has provided supported housing to 1,079 people facing homelessness over the last year – including hundreds in Derby - has won a major award for its valuable work helping the most vulnerable in society.

Derventio Housing Trust, whose headquarters are in Derby, provides supported housing across a wide area of England – Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire - to people who have either experienced homelessness or are at risk of it.

Working in some of the most deprived areas in the country, the not-for-profit organisation is currently providing housing to 217 people in Derby.

Derventio Housing Trust, whose origins go back 20 years when it started out as a night shelter in Derby, was crowned winner in the Community Impact category at the prestigious East Midlands Chamber Business Awards.

Jackie Carpenter, Derventio Housing Trust’s assistant director of strategy, collecting the award with funding and development manager Penny Wiltshire, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to have won this award for our work helping some of the most vulnerable people in our society. It is great that our hard-working staff have been recognised for the positive impact they are having.

“Our accommodation is at the heart of our organisation. We work with residents to end the cycle of homelessness and grow their potential, become self-sufficient and lead happy and fulfilled lives. Having a safe, secure home is the first step.”

Penny said: “An award such as this one is always very much appreciated and spurs us on to try and help even more people in the years to come. People are really struggling with the cost of living crisis along with energy and food costs and we are proud that we are able to reach so many people not just by giving them housing but by offering the various support programmes we run.”

Derventio Housing Trust runs additional services to promote skill-building and personal development amongst those it is helping. Its Home4Me project supports people who are facing exclusion from their rental properties and are often sleeping rough. It also runs Healthy futures, a project which supports people who are homeless in hospital, with sustainable accommodation and support – while also helping the NHS free up beds as the service means people can be discharged when they are medically ready. Growing Lives is an Ilkeston-based project providing activities and opportunities to help people gain confidence, such as craft, woodworking, gardening and walks. Derventio also runs “Multiply”, which helps people build their numeracy skills to help them in life and work.

Two thirds of people helped by Derventio experience poor mental health and many face other challenges including being neurodivergent; dealing with childhood trauma, or struggling with alcohol and drug use.

Derventio also runs “Sylvester’s Fund”, named after former resident Sylvester Cichowski, which is used to buy one-off items helping residents when they move away from its accommodation into their own properties. The fund has been used to pay for many items including mobile phones, beds, white goods, and even a pair of steel-capped boots for a man who needed them to access a tiling course.

Jackie said: “Every year we give more than 1,000 people the chance to take control of their lives and make positive changes. For some this meant moving off the streets for the first time in years or moving into their own home. For others, it meant taking the first steps towards more confidence or getting a job. The benefits to individuals have included better mental health, reduced isolation, more confidence, new skills and better health and wellbeing.”

Penny added: “We’re really proud that when we send out satisfaction surveys to our residents, 95 per cent of them recommend Derventio. We’ve had lots of lovely comments and we know we’ve helped give many people more security in their lives, enabling them to face their many other challenges more easily than before. It’s really tough for people out there and we’re really proud of the work we do.

“Times are as hard as ever and we are seeing an increase in the need for our services. We hope to be able to grow our service and help more people year on year.”