Help us bring hope and belonging this Christmas
Message from Bishop Rob
You can watch Bishop Rob’s Christmas Message here.
Dear Friends,
God chose to reveal the good news of the birth of Jesus to a group of shepherds. The news that Jesus had been born was not shared with the powerful and elite, but with a group who lived nomadic lives, who were marginalised and had very little agency.
Jesus, the Christmas gift, is unconditional love. At Housing Justice our work is rooted in that love so that everyone may have a dignified place of belonging.
This Christmas need is acute. With rising levels of homelessness and a lack of affordable housing, our work is much needed. We are seeking to help the most marginalised. Please join us and work with us in bringing hope and belonging.
This season, why not be part of this hope and share in the vision of the shepherds, proclaiming Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to all.
Please do give generously.
With my love,
+Rob
Rt Rev Bishop Rob Wickham, Chair of Housing Justice
Your support this Christmas can make a real difference
Could you support our work?
At Housing Justice we work with some of the most marginalised individuals in England and Wales, those who have fallen between the cracks of our society and find themselves homeless, destitute and without hope. Our dedicated teams work tirelessly to provide hope and support so that these individuals can move from homelessness to belonging, and rebuild their lives in sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying homes.
Our work encompasses funding and supporting night shelters to provide beds and move-on support for rough sleepers around the country; running hosting programmes for destitute homeless individuals in Wales and London; securing lodgings placements for newly-granted refugees while they find work and private rentals in London; our acclaimed homelessness prevention programme – Citadel – which utilises trained volunteers to help those at risk of or experiencing homelessness to find a home and maintain their tenancies across England and Wales; and Faith in Affordable Housing – our project to release surplus church land to build truly affordable homes across England, Wales and Scotland.
These are the stories of some of the people whose lives have been transformed by our work this year (all names have been changed):
Enid and George's Story
Enid and George are a happily married couple (George is 90 years old and Enid is 76), who were referred to us after they received a no-fault eviction notice from their landlord as he wanted to sell the home they had been living in for many years.
Given their advanced years and lack of family support, being forced to move from their home was a particularly alarming prospect for the couple and their beloved old cat. Our volunteer met with them regularly and supported them as we tried to find alternative private rentals (which were all too expensive), or social housing (there was nothing suitable available). She helped them to resolve issues with their bank, manage difficult telephone calls, and put army veteran George in touch with a local veteran’s group which he began attending for a coffee and a chat.
As time went on, George’s health deteriorated and moving house became less and less practical, and it became apparent that the landlord may be prepared to let them stay if they could pay more rent. We arranged for a welfare rights officer to attend their home to go through their finances and ensure they were claiming the benefits they were entitled to, and we were delighted to find that they were able to afford the increased rent.
Enid, George and their old cat have been able to stay in their own home and are very much looking forward to being able to have Christmas together.
Julie's Story
Julie was referred to our Citadel Programme in March 2024 having received a no-fault eviction notice as her landlord’s mortgage company was repossessing her home.
As a single Mum of three children, Julie was understandably very distressed at having to leave her home of nine years, and had many practical concerns about the family’s move into temporary accommodation.
Our Citadel team was there for her throughout this time, offering support and advice, sourcing items the family needed while they were in temporary accommodation, and helping Julie through the process of securing and moving into a new permanent home. We are delighted that the family is now happy and settled, and that the nightmare of homelessness is over for them.
“Losing our house and having to re-home our dog were the worst moments of my life. We lived in two different holiday homes, then a B&B and a temporary house before we eventually moved into our permanent home. We couldn’t enter some of the accommodation until after 3pm and so I just drove around crying, with my car filled with our belongings and nowhere to go. I would have struggled a lot more without Citadel – I will be forever grateful for their ongoing support and care.”
Rita's Story
Rita comes from a small town in Ukraine where she worked as a reporter for a local newspaper. She got married and had a child and they had a happy life together until Russia invaded. In September 2022, Russia began bombing her town and she took the heartbreaking decision to leave her home and husband, and escaped to the safety of Wales with her young son.
Following the end of their hosting placement, Rita was referred to Housing Justice for support. She was transferred to temporary accommodation in a hotel and while she was grateful to the council for housing them, it was completely unsuitable for her four-year-old son.
We managed to secure a hosting placement for them with a host who had a separate two-bedroom annex where the pair could live so long as they paid their own bills. Rita was able to do this and so we supported her with setting up the necessary accounts, and they are now happy and settled in their new home. They have made friends and applied for a school place, and Rita is volunteering as an interpreter while we help her to find a paid job.
Help us bring hope and belonging to more people like Julie, Rita, Enid and George this Christmas
Thank you sincerely on behalf of those we support
Please give whatever you can – your gift will help us to reduce homelessness and end suffering, and we will spend it where the need is greatest to maximise the impact of your generosity.
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