Charities that provide vital support to those who need it most have received a combined total of more than £30,000 to help tackle homelessness.

Eleven charities and social enterprises across the region, including Lynn Night Shelter and the Hanseatic Union, will share £200,000 in funding from Hopestead, the Norwich-based homelessness charity which is part of Bromford Flagship.

This year’s funding round – the fifth in Hopestead’s Hope Funds programme – breaks new ground. As well as bigger grants over a longer period, Hopestead is offering training bursaries so partner organisations can work with local consultants, Hasler-White Inclusive Facilitation, to develop their approaches and share what works.

Lynn Night Shelter, which provides emergency accommodation and support to those sleeping rough or in unsafe accommodation, has been awarded £20,000.

The Hanseatic Union, which helps people find employment, navigate the benefits system and learn English in Lynn and West Norfolk, has been handed a grant of £11,184.

The grants will fund 18-month projects ranging from supporting domestic abuse survivors into safe housing to helping rough sleepers access legal advice and healthcare.

Lucy Parish, Hopestead’s director of operations, said: “We were keen to not only increase the amount we could offer in grants, but also provide the opportunity for our partners to develop their skills and to improve the resilience of their organisations.

“We have got to be ambitious to achieve our goal of ending homelessness. We are really excited to be working with all these organisations and we are very proud to partner with Hasler-White to help make this happen.”

These partner organisations will also have the opportunity to contribute their own expertise towards Hopestead’s ‘Voice of Hope’ project, which aims to advocate and campaign for major policy change by platforming people’s lived experiences and “community voices”.

Lucy McKitterick, the Lynn Night Shelter co-ordinator, said: “The night shelter is very grateful to Hopestead for their grant towards our work over the next 18 months.

“The funding will go towards the staff costs of our intensive support workers, whose work is such an essential part of the service we are able to provide for our guests.

“They are with us every day of the year and work one-to-one with our guests, helping them to find sustainable longer-term accommodation, with all that this involves: referrals, joining the housing register, paying off debts.

“But also making sure they have a GP surgery and are getting to appointments, that they have access to support with mental health or addiction or substance misuse, and connecting with other agencies who may be working with them, including housing officers, the probation service, and the police.

“Hopestead has supported the night shelter twice in the past, and it’s great to be working with them again, and to have their backing for such an important part of the service we offer our guests – alongside the 24/7 pastoral care and support from the rest of the staff and volunteer teams.

“Every grant we receive makes a huge difference.”

Julie Chaplin, project lead at Hanseatic Union, said the cash boost has come at the right time as the organisation makes some key changes.

She said: “It will all be spent on staff taking on extra responsibilities and one staff member becoming a specialist in housing by undertaking training from the shelter.

“They will gain all the information and then make sure the rest of the team has all the new information and knows how it affects the clients.

“This grant from Hopestead came at an absolutely perfect time because of all the changes. Our organisation was set up to provide support in overcoming barriers to living healthy and good lives.

“Secure housing is one of these key pillars to having a healthy life, both physically and for wellbeing. This grant allows us to provide what our clients need to have a safe base to build their lives from.”

Since launching in 2020, Hope Funds has provided £787,743 in funding to homelessness organisations. In total, the programme has supported more than 29,000 individuals and families across the region.