Alabaré awarded More Than A Roof grants by Centrepoint

Alabaré is transforming the spaces of the young people it supports thanks to Centrepoint and Nationwide’s ‘Fairer Futures’ grant programme, More Than a Roof.

Alabaré supports young people aged 16 to 21, often leaving the care system, who might otherwise find themselves homeless, with supported living programmes in Wiltshire and Hampshire.

With the grant, Alabaré will upgrade 35 rooms throughout its accommodation. Young people are kitting out their rooms with a range of new soft furnishings, including curtains, rugs, bedding, decorative items such as plants, pictures, and mirrors, as well as electrical goods like lights, kettles, and toasters, to make their rooms more personal to them.

The More Than a Roof: Personalisation Grant programme, funded by Nationwide, has been made available to Centrepoint’s network of partners.

In Round 1, over 25 partners across the UK were able to access a pot of £200,000. In Round 2, a further £200,000 will be distributed to 21 partners.

Kiah has been staying at Alabaré’s Sarum House in Andover and received a More Than a Roof grant in the first round. She said, “I was very close to moving on and getting my own place and I was thinking, that’s really going to help me for when I move on.

"I managed to save myself so much money, that was a massive help to me, starting to live independently.

“When I found out we were getting the grant, I did cry a little bit, because it was like ‘someone else wants to help me out, someone wants to make my life a little bit better’ and it was really nice to see.”

Charlotte Kensett, Director of Customer Experience and Social Impact at Nationwide, said, “For young people facing homelessness, supported accommodation is a lifeline. Through Nationwide Fairer Futures and our partnership with Centrepoint, we’re proud to make a difference to young people’s lives by helping them make their space feel like home - creating a sense of safety and stability that’s crucial for their wellbeing.”

Lisa Waring, Head of Partnerships at Centrepoint, said, “For many young people in supported accommodation, the room they are given may be the first safe space they have ever had. Having the opportunity to put their own stamp on these spaces and make them homely can make a world of difference as they work towards rebuilding their lives.

“It has been fantastic to see the enormous difference the first round of funding has made to the young people our partners support, and we look forward to helping more access this transformative grant. We cannot thank Nationwide enough for partnering with us and giving us the resources to extend this support beyond our services.”