September - 2018

Estate Agents donate to HARP with every new sale and let.

Angel Homes & Lettings based on London Road in Leigh-on-Sea are supporting HARP with every sale or new let they make. Nuno Rio Tinto, Guardian Angel at Angel Homes & Lettings told us “selling a house is a big deal and we have always gone the extra mile to make the process as stress-free and enjoyable as possible, but now we want to help those less fortunate to find a home too, which is why we will make a donation to HARP for every sale and new let that we undertake.” At HARP

Crockery and blanket donation helps make homeless hostel more homely

The Rotary Club of Rayleigh Mill are distributing over 1,000 blankets and crockery donated courtesy of Qantas Airways. The travel company approached the Rotary Club to help them distribute the brand new items that were surplus to need, and HARP, Southend’s Homeless Charity, were grateful to receive some of the goods to use in one of their hostels in Southend. The 20-bed hostel operates under the Housing First model to provide housing and support for long-term rough sleepers w

Songs for Shelter rocks the Railway again!

Local student Tom Johnson, 19, held a successful charity concert in July raising over £300 for HARP, and he has been at it again! Songs for Shelter 2 was held at the Railway Hotel on Clifftown Road in Southend last week and raised a fantastic £310. The event was supported by a number of local artists including Rooskin, Humble Slug and The Toe Rags, and even the event’s sound man Martin Little kindly insisted on donating his fee to the cause. Organiser Tom who is passionate ab

Remember a Charity Week

The 10th - 16th September is 'Remember A Charity in your Will Week' and we are asking our supporters to consider leaving a gift to them when writing a will. Marian, one of HARP's regular supporters, has done just that, so her legacy will go on to help some of the most vulnerable people in Southend. Marian said "after looking after my family, I'm pleased to be able to leave something modest to such an impressive charity." She continued “I’m unafraid of what the future holds be

Project 49 donate home-made cereal bars for rough sleepers

Project 49 in Southend work with local people with learning disabilities and they recently turned their attention to supporting local rough sleepers. The group who are taking part in a volunteering programme called Can Do, (which is a City and Guilds accredited programme offered by Leonard Cheshire) have completed a Food Safety level one course allowing them to get involved with community projects, and together they voted on their favourite healthy breakfast bar recipes to ma

Additional funding to help rough sleepers

The Government have announced further national funding to continue to address the issue of homelessness into the next financial year. In March, the Government set up a £30m fund, distributed to local authorities to support rough sleepers, and Southend Borough Council successfully bid for £425,000 to be spent up until March 2019. The Government have also just announced further funding that will see Southend Borough Council awarded an additional £513,000 for the year beginning

A day in the life of... HARP Chief Executive Jackie Bliss

We recently caught up with HARP's new Chief Executive Jackie Bliss and asked her a few questions about her role. How long have you been at HARP and what does your role entail? I joined HARP at the beginning of April this year, and took over from Gill Garwood as HARP’s Chief Executive from 16th June when Gill retired. I guess essentially, my job entails “the buck stopping here!” In law, our Trustees actually carry legal responsibility as they are the board of directors but, in