First, my thanks to the readers of Property Week for donating almost £5,000 to LandAid at the Property Awards last month

This message of thanks also gives me an opportunity to explain what else the industry’s charity does.

LandAid has agreed more than £40,000 in grants to organisations around the country that share its concern with homelessness.

• A £2.6m project by Emmaus in Winchester, Hampshire, will receive £8,000 towards start-up costs and equipment. The social enterprise live-work project for 23 homeless men and women aims to move them towards independent living and reintegration into society. The project will collect and recycle second-hand goods and furniture.
• The Canaan Trust in Nottingham will receive £8,200 for the interior and exterior renewal of two properties for single homeless men. Canaan provides education and training in life skills – one of LandAid’s priorities.
• £8,000 goes to St Mungo’s in London’s Paddington to equip its expanded wood workshop, which produces furniture and garden equipment for sale.
• Haven House, which looks after homeless women and children in Sheffield, will receive the £5,500 cost of converting part of its building.
• The Booth Centre at Manchester Cathedral will have £5,124 to fund three work-based training projects to move homeless people on to employment or further training for education or voluntary work in the community.
• Genesis Trust in Bath will have £5,000 towards a life skills project and support for nine projects it has to help those on low incomes, in poor housing, or who are homeless or unemployed.
  

LandAid requires the projects it funds to report on how the grant is being used and that grants are ring-fenced for the purposes for which they are donated. Before a proposal is considered, the organisation has to lodge audited accounts and details of the project and its costs.

The LandAid trustees expect projects to involve training, equipment and buildings to rebuild lives and skills, rather than just a hostel-style operation.

Importantly, they look for projects where LandAid’s help is going to make a project happen, rather than just topping up the coffers of charities with giant budgets.

As well as the grants programme, LandAid has committed more than £1m to its innovative partnership with homeless charity Centrepoint – Foundations for Life – which is expanding and modernising a portfolio of accommodation across the country, in addition to supporting homeless residents to become independent and get work.

Industry support

LandAid is committed to encouraging a generous and strong sense of community within the industry and aims to continue to develop and co-ordinate its charitable work to achieve maximum effect and greater impact in people’s lives.

Although the property industry faces acute financial problems, and many people in it have their own financial, employment and housing problems, we are still finding support from the industry through personal donations, corporate funding and our fundraising events. More businesses are designating us as the beneficiary of their events.

With the country’s wider economic problems, we can confidently expect that homelessness and all its associated problems are going to grow.

It is important that we tell our funders how we spend their money, and we are proud that our website – www.landaid.org – now provides information about all our activities.