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Homeless and vulnerable people in the East Midlands will be empowered to learn new skills and move forward with their lives – thanks to a major new grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.

Framework has been awarded £500,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund to help our service users – many of whom have been homeless – to re-engage with their community and live independently.

We will use the money over the next three years to deliver a unique learning curriculum focused on empowering people to live independently. Available to all service users, the Homeless to Home syllabus offers a unique blend of classroom and practical learning – much of it taking place at a special purpose built “flat” constructed inside our Training Centre building in Bulwell, Nottingham.

Richard Oskwarek, Operations Manager for Employment and Skills, explained:

“Homeless to Home will create unique learning opportunities for homeless and vulnerable people across the region. Through consultation with beneficiaries and local research, it is clear that this project will fill a gap in provision and matters to the people it will support. The mock flat will generate completely new experiences that beneficiaries have been unable to find in the local area, and the learning methods will be engaging and unlike any services that they have previously accessed.

“The project will help to prevent homelessness and break the cycle of repeat homelessness – equipping people with the skills to obtain independent tenancies and prevent them from becoming homeless again. The introduction of a practical workspace will enable people to learn the skills and build the confidence to move into accommodation of their own and progress to further learning, volunteering and employment. It will support people on a pathway to independence – generating a lasting impact that will be sustained beyond Framework’s support.”

The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes, is the largest community funder in the UK.