2022-03-31-accounts - Hope At Home

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Trustees Report and Financial Statements

Trustees Report and Financial Statements for the year ended March 2022

Introduction from the Chair

Hope at Home have continued to provide accommodation via host homes for those who have experienced human trafficking and modern slavery. An ambitious operational plan and targets were set for 2021-2022 across our three strategic pillars; finding homes, equipping hosts, strategic enablers.

Finding Homes:

·Hope at Home hosted 16 guests across the year and provided 2,300 nights of safety and support.
This year has seen referrals increase from 46 (2020-21) to 51 – this is an 11% increase. We have however not always been able to find hosts and accommodation for all these referrals
This year we have embarked on three pilot projects with partner organisations to use the hosting model in different contexts, at different stages of the NRM and expanded the model into Scotland.

Equipping Hosts:

We have managed to recruit and train 18 new hosts this year. Work is on-going to diversify host recruitment and the securing of host homes.
Hosts are positive about the training and support they receive and to assist future planning we have started to collate data about why hosts choose to offer their homes for hosting and why they decide to stop hosting, this information will directly impact our future host training and retention.
We have successfully expanded our staff team and welcomed a new hub co-ordinator to ensure hosts are identified, trained and supported across another regional location.

Strategic Enablers:

Hope at Home was established as an organisation with Christian ethos and values and with the intention that hosts would be Christians. Whilst the ethos and values of the organisation have not altered via consultation it was agreed that to meet our vision of ensuring all survivors have a safe place to live by 2030, we needed to access a wider pool of potential hosts. As of October 2021, hosts no longer need to identify as Christian, and this change enables us to recruit hosts from all different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities which will ultimately benefits guests.
This year saw the Board develop and agree an approach to project development to enable the operational team to investigate and facilitate opportunities as they arise. A governance review was undertaken and involved one-to-ones with all trustees and completion of trustee skill matrix to enable the Board to identify governance gaps and develop plans to address these. As part of this process, it was agreed all trustees needed to complete basic safeguarding training, that our safeguarding policy should be externally reviewed, that a review of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion practices should be undertaken and that a Trustee Handbook would be developed.
Financially we have managed to successfully begin to diversity income streams and this year, with the help of a fundraising consultant, have started to secure multi-year grants as well as increasing our monthly individual giving.

Introduction from the Chair

Introduction from the Chair

The conflict in Ukraine saw Government launch a hosting programme in early March 2022, asking the British public to host those fleeing. We know that unprecedented numbers of people have come forward to host and whilst we are yet to fully see or understand the impact of such a scheme it is potentially encouraging for the future of hosting.

Looking forwards, work on the new organisational strategy (2023-2026) will be starting. This will be developed in consultation with guests, host and strategic partners and work towards ensuring that all survivors of modern slavery have safe places to live.

As always, the trustees’ thanks go to the team who work to identify and train hosts and find homes and to the hosts who amaze us with their willingness to put others before themselves and share their lives and homes in such a powerful way.

Kate Garbers | Chair of Trustees

"It's a breath of fresh air living here. Being with your charity is the first time in my life I haven't been surrounded by toxic people."

Introduction from the Chair (p2)

TRUSTEE REPORT OVERVIEW

Objectives

The objective of the charity is to relieve the needs of people who are at risk of, or who

have been subject to, modern slavery or human trafficking by providing access to safe housing within the community and by assisting in the provision of all the necessary support designed to enable

individuals to rebuild their lives and become independent individuals and members of society.

We achieve this by:

Training and supporting volunteers to welcome a survivor into their homes for an agreed time period.

Partnering with organisations across the UK to deliver holistic, wrap around support for survivors.

Public Benefit

The Trustees consider the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and planning its activities.

Working to tackle modern slavery and those impacted via provision of accommodation and support are in the public interest. These activities support vulnerable persons in our community and society.

(www.gov.uk/guidance/public-benefitrules-for-charities )

Mission statement

To see an end to the cycle of human trafficking in the UK, restoring dignity to and helping to rebuild the lives of survivors.

Values

Excellence : We strive to be professional, honourable and full of integrity in our work. Person focused: We will always value the needs of individuals and care for them in a way that seeks to meet those needs.

Pioneering & Ambitious: We are innovative and will seek new solutions until our aims are achieved.

Honouring: We will always think the best of others and will be respectful in the way we treat and speak about them, understanding they are valued and bring a unique contribution. Collaborative : We recognise the benefits of building partnerships with others in order to end human trafficking. Their expertise and input are important to us and we actively seek them out.

Trustee report overview

2021 - 2022 Achievements

Strategic pillars

Our strategic pillars for 2021-2022 have been:

Finding Homes Equipping Hosts Strategic Enablers

Finding homes

From April 2021 to March 2022 we hosted 16 guests for a total of 2,323 nights. Two of these guests were placed with 2 different sets of hosts, so in all we had 18 guest placements. All these guests had been through or were still in the National Referral Mechanism (the government body which decides if there is enough evidence to conclusively prove that someone has been a victim of slavery).

Guest demographics

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Negative CG
1
Male
6
Guest NRM decisions Positive RG Guest Gender
8
Positive CG
7
Female
10
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2021-2022 Achievements (p1)

2021 - 2022 Achievements

Reason for referral

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10
Guest 7.5
comments
5
Our guests are positive
about their experiences
with our hosts: 2.5
“Thank you so much for
0
always supporting me,
it’s really gone a long
way.”
“If I wasn’t staying with
hosts, I would be lonely.”
Guest countries of origin
3
2
1
0
Prior to being hosted with us, all guests were either homeless or
vulnerable to homelessness.
CameroonNigeriaSwazilandPakistanAlbaniaVietnamZimbabweSenegalUganda IranGhanaCzech Rep
Waiting asylum accommodationDestitute asylum seekerMove on from safehouseHomeless Other
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2021-2022 Achievements (p2)
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2021 - 2022 Achievements

When Covid-19 restrictions have allowed, our guests have taken part in training, volunteering, community groups and employment.

8 guests have had positive move-ons. 4 guests have chosen to move on into unstable accommodation. The remaining 4 guests continued their placements into the next financial year.

Move-on destinations

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3
2
1
0
Guest involvement
Guests have inputted into Hope at Home by shortlisting and interviewing new
staff, creating trauma-informed questions for guest surveys and inputting into
ongoing strategy. We have welcomed their feedback.
In order to find new hosts, we have held numerous online events and spoken at
several events. We have reached over 1000 people.
The reasons for some referrals not translating into placements included no
available hosts in the required areas, possible guests changing their minds and
choosing not to join us and unsuitable referrals which did not meet our eligibility
criteria.
NRM safehouseAsylum accommodationLocal authority housingOther charity housingFamily/friends Other
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Guest involvement

2021-2022 Achievements (p3)

2021 - 2022 Achievements

Equipping hosts

18 sets of hosts have been trained this year. Hosts vary in age and life stage from families with young children to retired couples.

100% of hosts felt that the training gave them the knowledge needed to begin hosting. One set of hosts made this comment:

“Thank you for taking the time to go through all this and answer our questions and allow us space to talk around the topic in a more generalised way. We feel that we would be able to bring any unanticipated issues to you in the future but felt that the training was well structured and aimed to pre-empt as many of these as possible.”

All hosts are offered a bi-monthly ‘host support’ session with other hosts which is facilitated by a member of the staff team. Living with someone who has experienced trauma can be tough and this support assists to promote well-being and coping strategies for hosts.

Our partners

We work in partnership with agencies who refer into us and provide casework for our guests. 4 new partnerships were developed.

As well as the above we are in weekly communication with hosts, liaising with the guest’s support worker when necessary. We also provide peer support via a hosts WhatsApp group which has been well utilised by hosts. 100% of hosts felt well supported by Hope at Home.

We maintained our annual review process with our key partners conducting these sessions online instead of face to face. Sessions allow for partners to offer feedback about Hope at Home and feed into operational plans moving forwards.

2021-2022 Achievements (p4)

Strategic Enablers

Our strategic enablers are the substantial in-house, behind the scenes activities and people which assist & ensure sustainable delivery of our services.

This year we have achieved this by recruiting an additional Hub Development Coordinator who oversees referrals and placements in the South of England. This has increased our capacity as a team.

We have also engaged the services of a fundraising contractor for 4 days per month. Not only has this increased our capacity as a staff team, but it has generated regular and multi-year funding to ensure sustainability. The fundraiser’s success rate is 67% with a Return on Investment (ROI) of £16 currently

We have refined and developed our staff recruitment and retention offering and now have an annual appraisal system and also look to increase our salaries annually in line with the cost of living.

We became a registered “Living Wage Employer” with the Living Wage Foundation.

Strategic enablers

Future plans

At the start of 2022 we commissioned The University of Nottingham, Rights Lab, to conduct a piece of research (Where will I Live report) looking at

accommodation for survivors of modern slavery and how hosting fits into that space. As our Strategic Plan 2020-2023 comes to an end, we have taken the salient themes from this research report to develop the next three years’ Strategic Plan. We are currently consulting hosts, guests and our partner organisations in order to finalise this plan.

We will continue to increase our number of hosts and guest placements. However, we are also looking at exploring other ways of providing safe homes for survivors as well as ensuring they have high quality support alongside them.

Future plans

Risk management & safeguarding

Our principal 2021-2022 risks were:

COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing measures leading to a smaller pool of hosts available. Also, the emergency housing measures for safe houses and rough sleepers affecting referrals and placements.
COVID-19 pandemic causing a recession and an impact on donations and giving.
Inappropriate hosts and placements.
Impact of Brexit on the sector and economy as well as the Nationality & Borders Act.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibility for the management and control of the organisation and are involved in the key aspects of the risk management process, identifying risks and taking these into consideration when making decisions. An overall risk review activity is included in the Charity's annual governance calendar and is reviewed at each trustees meeting.

The major risks, as above, to the Charity have been reviewed during the year, and control systems and policies are in place to ensure that risks are appropriately identified and managed at all levels of the organisation. No serious incidents have been reported in this financial year.

Under the direction of the Trustees, the CEO has reviewed appropriate insurance and ensured that the cover provided is adequate the services provided by the organisation. This will be revisited each year as the policies in place come up for renewal.

In addition, we have outsourced HR to a third party who provides relevant expertise. As a result, the Trustees are confident that the organisation complies with current legislation and effectively manages the related risks.

Risk management & safeguarding

Finance & Fundraising Review

Our total income for the year was £138,856, a decrease of £2,727 (2%) on the previous year

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Donations & fundraising
Grants Other
150,000
318.00
87,500
100,000
123,191
50,000
18,392
51,038
0
2021-2022 2020-2021
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Hope at Home supporters:

29th May 1961 Charitable Trust Albert Hunt Trust Allen Lane Foundation
Arnold Clarke Community Fund Christ Church Birmingham Crisis Garfield Weston Foundation
J & MC Trust
Marsh Charitable Trust McGhee Trust National Lottery, Awards For All Pat Newman Memorial Trust Sainsbury’s Souter Foundation The Blue Thread WF Southall Trust
WO Street Charitable Foundation Number of generous individuals from the public.

Our work is funded by a mixture of grant income, donations (from individuals, companies, and community groups), fundraising events and earned income.

We are grateful for the valuable contribution of the above key organisations who supported our work over the past year.

Finance & fundraising review

Expenditure Review

Staff costs in order to deliver our charitable activities were circa £69,504, an increase of £25,516 (58%).

Total expenditure for the year was £114,860, an increase of £48,724 (73%)

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Fundraising costs Charitable activities (including staff costs)
Governance & support
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125,000
705
100,000 105,355
75,000
12,477
50,000
25,000
8,800
53,659
0
2021-2022 2020-2021
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Use of surplus funds

In this financial year we had a surplus of £23,996. We designated some funds (£70,000) as a board towards 2022-2023 as follows;

£20K for new project or service amendment.
£10K host allowances.
£40K staff costs.

Expenditure review

Reserves policy

The trustees have determined to work towards maintaining a level of unrestricted reserves of £50,000.

Reserves are used to:

To protect against unforeseen income variations
To enable investment in potential projects and opportunities should the trustees decide to.

The Reserves policy was reviewed in 2022. Our reserves policy is set to achieve a balance between ensuring that our work is protected from the risk of disruption that occurs at short notice because of a lack of funds and ensuring we do not retain income for longer than required. The Trustees have determined that Hope at Home should be holding sufficient unrestricted reserves equal to between 3 and 4 months of expenditure.

Board of Trustees

Administrative information

Charity Number: 1176802

Registered Address: PO Box 17404, Bromsgrove, B60 9NL

The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 30th March 2022.

The Accounts and Annual Report are required to comply with the requirements of and have therefore been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2022.

Reserves policy & administrative information

Financial Statements

Independent Financial Examiner’s Report

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2021-2022 2020-2021
UnrestrictedUnrestricted Restricted
Total Total
FundsFunds Funds
Income
Donations &
50,239 800 51,038 18,392
Fundraising
Grants Received 1,800 85,700 87,500 123,191
Training & Other
318 318
Income
Total Income 52,356 86,500 138,856 141,583
Expenditure
Cost of Raising
8,800 8,800 0
Funds
Charitable
68 105,287 105,355 64,470
Activities
Governance
705 705 1,666
Costs
Total
68 114,792 114,860 66,136
Expenditure
Surplus
(Deficit) of
52,288 (28,292) 23,996 75,447
Income Over
Expenditure
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Independent Financial Examiner’s Report

Financial Statements

Independent Financial Examiner’s Report

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2021-2022 2020-2021
Unrestricted Restricted
Total Total
Funds Funds
Reconciliation of Funds
Brought
63,681 61,135 124,816 49,369
Forward
Surplus
(Deficit) For 52,288 (28,292) 23,996 75,447
Year
Carried
115,969 32,843 148,812 124,816
Forward
Current Assets
Bank
117,119 31,839 148,958 112,495
Balances
Debtors 318 318 13,000
Creditors:
Amounts
Falling Due 1468 (1,004) 464 679
Within One
Year
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Independent Financial Examiner’s Report

Financial Statements

Independent Financial Examiner’s Report

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2021-2022 2020-2021
Unrestricted Restricted
Total Total
Funds Funds
Net Assets 115,969 32,843 148,812 124,816
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted
115,969 115,969 63,681
Funds
Restricted
32,843 32,843 61,135
Funds
Total Funds 115,969 32,843 148,812 124,816
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Independent Financial Examiner’s Report