Charity Of The Year 2020

Leathes Prior are proud to announce that we will be supporting St Martins Housing as our Charity Of The Year throughout 2020.

St Martins are a local charity, focusing on the prevention of homelessness in the community by offering housing, support and care to vulnerable people. The team are based in Norwich and have supported local people for over 40 years, as well as raising awareness of homelessness through educational programmes in schools.

Throughout their time, St Martins have helped transform the lives of people in Norwich and Norfolk who have experienced homelessness, by enabling them to gain the skills and self-confidence they need to reach their full potential. They offer services such as temporary and second-stage housing for vulnerable people, weekly outreach and advice sessions and the only ‘direct access’ hostel facility in Norwich, as well as many more. From a small Night Shelter opening in the then redundant Church of St James in 1972 to a wide-reaching organisation in the heart of Norfolk, the charity pride themselves on their ability to reshape the lives of many vulnerable people for so many years.

One of the many aims for St Martins is to raise awareness of homelessness, and to create a greater understanding of the cause, affect and consequences. They are so passionate about spreading word that they won Sync the City 2019 in November for their pitch of the ‘Reality Check’ gamification app to improve attitudes and perceptions towards homeless people. The app allows you to follow the journey of someone who is homeless and experience what they do. To further help with knowledge and outreach, the charity regularly work with other voluntary organisations, housing associations and community and church groups.

Leathes Prior are delighted to support such a highly-established local charity, and are looking forward to working with the CEO, Dr Jan Sheldon and the rest of the St Martins team throughout 2020.