A space of their own

Charity Framework is one of the homelessness charities Lincolnshire Co-op is currently supporting through the Community Champions scheme. Read more about its work here...

It's the little touches you notice. The cushions on the sofa. The recipe books lined up. The cups, side-by-side, ready for a brew. Even the 'rules of the kitchen' stuck up above the sink.

Those tiny things we'd take for granted are incredibly important to the residents at Framework's facilities in Spalding. It's a signal that they're moving towards a more 'normal' life - a piece of dignity returned.

Framework helps around 11,000 people in a year in the East Midlands and runs sites across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Residents can stay in emergency accommodation for up to three months and move on accommodation for up to nine. The charity also offers floating support to those who have left.

Throughout the time people will spend with Framework, the focus is on equipping them for life again. There's social events and practical help such as the Skills Plus workshops, which include sessions on vital subjects like budgeting or tenants' rights. Move On packs, worth about £50 each, mean those going into their own accommodation are equipped with basics like a kettle or bedding.

Some of the services Framework runs receive funding. But with pressure increasing on the public purse, the £500,000 the charity needs to raise each year for extras is stretched.

Framework's motto is 'Respect, Respond, Empower.’

It's evident in all the residents we meet on our visit - from Steve tackling budgeting and confidence, to Lee who has started volunteering at a local charity shop and Bernie, about to sign a tenancy agreement on a flat outside of Framework.

"It's in everything we do," states Support Planner Jill Rodgers. "Everyone deserves respect. Everyone deserves to be heard and responded to. Empowerment is the end result - we want to empower them to start taking control of their own lives successfully."