**Registered Charity Number: 1191323** 

**HOPE AND VISION COMMUNITIES REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2021** 



|TRUSTEES REPORT|Page 2|
|---|---|
|INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT|Page 8|
|STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS|Page 9|



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## **TRUSTEES REPORT HOPE AND VISION COMMUNITIES** 

**Charity Name** : Hope and Vision Communities **Registered Address:** 65 Anderson Avenue, Earley, Reading RG6 1HD **Registered Charity Number** : 1191323 **Registered Office:** The Coach House, Blakes Lane, Hare Hatch Reading, Berkshire RG10 9XR **Trustees:** Peter Ross (Chair) Ray Welsh, Secretary Treflyn Lloyd Roberts, Treasurer Becky Williams (resigned November 2021 due to be reappointed March 2022) Jenny Sutrees Jan Matthews **Founder/Employee:** Tony Attwood **Independent Examiner:** James Tottman **Bank:** Barclays Bank PLC Leicestershire England LE87 2BB 

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## **CHARITY OBJECTIVES** 

Hope and Vision Communities provides supported accommodation to those who have recently left residential rehabilitation for addiction. It is recognised that the risk of relapse is very high without a safe place to call home. We help those who would like to continue their journey of recovery in a healthy, supportive community which provides somewhere safe to live and something meaningful to do, including long-term accommodation, peer support, regular drug/alcohol testing, group work and the encouragement to engage in training, voluntary and paid work, all of which can aid long-term recovery and help create independent new life. 

Our Christian ethos means we support residents of any faith, or no faith and we do not impose our views on anyone we work with. 

Our six key strategic aims between 2021-2023 are: 

1. Increase the number of people for whom we can provide a safe home and a supported community of recovery 

2. Revise and continue to implement our business model to improve and expand our service provision. 

3. Prepare and manage a budget to ensure financial security for the future so we can continue to invest in supporting those who need our help. 

4. Build on our existing relationships, develop our reach with new stakeholders and diversify sustainable income streams to achieve a balanced income from a range of sources. 

5. Further strengthen and develop the community we build around those we support: to include creating a strong support network, friendship, opportunities to be together in community, maintaining good habits, volunteering, training and being of service to others. 

6. Recruit, retain and develop a passionate team of staff and volunteers who are each driven by the charity vision and values. 

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## **CHAIRMAN’S REPORT** 

Hope and Vision Communities is the brainchild of Tony Attwood, born out of his own experiences and I was delighted to join him in this venture, as the judge who had once sentenced him. 

I’m all too aware that one of the major crises that our society faces is homelessness among ex-offenders and recovering addicts. For many of us involved in the work of recovery we know that times of change, particularly when there is great uncertainty as to the outcome, produce a very real risk of relapse. There is much evidence to show that if you give someone a home - a place where they can close the door and know that the space is theirs - you provide a stable basis for continued rehabilitation. This is more than physical security or simply a roof over our heads (important as these are) but a place where we have an emotional attachment. And that is what we hope to provide: somewhere to call "home". 

Yet what we provide is more than a home: we offer a safe environment and strong community designed to aid recovery. We ask our residents to play an active part in their own recovery by attending groups and being tested to ensure that there has been no relapse. We provide 2-3 bed properties, ensuring that we retain a “home” like feel. We want to see our residents progress through training and work and don’t limit our offering to those on housing benefit. We do not set any end date on how long residents stay with us, but we work to help them rebuild their lives with education, employment, and where and when it is appropriate, moving on to entirely independent living. 

Despite the obvious challenges in launching a charity during a pandemic my fellow trustees and I are delighted with the strong support and encouragement we have seen from our growing network of supporters, donors, funders, the media, and volunteers. We are good news at a difficult time for many in recovery - change is possible and our powerful story is told by a man who has made that change himself. We remain confident that we are well-placed to adapt to the ever-changing external environment as we pursue our strategic path and extend our reach in the year to come. 

SIGNED: Peter Ross Chair of the Board of Trustees January 2022 

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## **Trustees’ Expertise and Recruitment** 

One of our greatest strengths is the depth and breadth of experience we hold, which includes the experience of: 

- Trustee experience, charity strategy, charity growth, safeguarding and governance 

- Leadership, business growth, mentoring, finance, project management, technology 

- Lived experience, attention to detail, passion, vision 

- Communication, media, networking, contacts 

- Grant giving experience, understanding of fundraising, sponsorship, appeals 

- Criminal sector, prison work 

- Property development, compliance 

- Community services, addiction, recovery, counselling 

Our trustees are drawn from a range of backgrounds and experiences relevant to our work. Our current treasurer will soon be stepping aside from that role to focus on the issue of recovery, bringing to bear his considerable experience as a leading figure in the provision of rehabilitation services. We are seeking to appoint a new treasurer, but in the meantime have been fortunate to obtain the voluntary support of a qualified accountant. 

## **Activities** 

This year was our first year of operation. In common with many charities the pandemic had an impact upon our work, but unlike many others our income levels increased. Leaving aside one or two socially committed landlords we have experienced considerable reluctance by many landlords to rent accommodation to a charity such as ours. 

To date we have worked with six residents; one has moved on to independent accommodation with full time employment, one returned to his family having relapsed, and four remain in our two Reading based properties. All residents have come to us from the Yeldall Manor program. We’ve had referral requests from the probation services, police, and prisons but these people have not yet met our requirements. These have been encouraged towards residential rehabilitation. We’ve also been in regular communication with rehab centres across the UK inviting referrals. When we receive referrals, we inform applicants that it can take 3-6 months to secure housing. Our current residents are flourishing and enjoying their homes and the safety and /security it provides them. Three of our residents are in full time employment and one is working part time, combined with a college course. 

Our program of activity includes: 

- Identifying landlords willing to partner with us. 

- Working with local treatment centres to identify suitable residents for our program who sign terms and conditions alongside their license agreement. 

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- We pay their first month’s rent to give them time to get established after which the houses become self-sustaining. 

- We manage structured house groups with a 12-step fellowship program. 

- We provide a support structure which includes random drug and alcohol testing to keep the community safe and retain accountability 

- We provide regular 1-1 key-working to help with education, training and employment We issue cleaning rotas to maintain routine and share responsibility 

- We build a tight knit community, which includes social outings and plans to work together on a community allotment 

- We partner with local charities, food banks and churches to collect donations. 

- Through in-kind support we offer our clients access to a range of legal services including family law aid which can help reconnect them with their children 

Although we have only one employee at present we are provided with considerable support from volunteers in the areas of fundraising and finance. 

## **Main Achievements during 2021** 

- We have provided six residents with a safe place to call home. 

- The majority of those we worked with have not relapsed or reoffended during this time. 

- We have considerably expanded our supporter network and have 500 regular followers on social media, with some of our Facebook posts receiving over 4,000 views and engagements. Almost 32,000 people have seen posts on our Facebook page since we created it. 

- We have obtained televised media coverage with the BBC, including two pieces of coverage on BBC South Today. 

- We have obtained radio coverage with BBC Berkshire and secured newspaper coverage through local Berkshire newspapers. 

- We have created databases of stakeholders including treatment centres, grant funders, potential landlords, supporters and friends and are in regular contact with these groups. 

- We have designed and printed marketing material, including an appeal letter that highlights our story so far. 

- We organised a successful community event to bring our stakeholders together and provide our residents and potential residents with an opportunity to learn more about our services. 

- We’ve secured a great deal of in-kind support through generous supporters including technology, property maintenance and repair, a small community library, food parcels for our residents, all our office furniture, pro bono legal work, catering for our community event and marketing materials. 

- Our powerful message means we have been invited to attend a number of networking events which have included the Forward Trust, House of Lords, Berkshire Community Foundation Annual Symposium, More Than My Past Campaign, Thames Valley Police IOM training event, Adapt, Renova, Kerith Church and recovery networking across England. 

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## **Financial Review** 

The accounts of Hope and Vision Communities for the Financial Year 2020-21 are attached to this report. Our principal funding sources are rents and service charges from residents, and grants from large and small grant giving and commercial organisations. 

The following fundraising income was secured in 2021: 

Grants: £10,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund, £5,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, £4,950 from the Berkshire Community Foundation, £1,000 Arnold Clark Fund, Seedfield Trust £1,500.  £1,000 from Edward and Diana Hornby Charitable Trust. Donations: £1,000 from SMQ Legal, £2,500 from Arnold Clark. Individual Fundraisers: over £7,000 from individuals raising money for us which includes £2350 match funding from Sovereign Housing. Individual Donations include £100 a month from a regular giver and at least £1,200 from smaller donations. 

Sponsorship: £5,000 from Reeds Solicitors towards the cost of our van. 

## **Reserves Policy** 

The trustees decided that reserves should be sufficient to continue to deliver the charity’s work for a period of three months should all other sources of funding cease. Whilst it has not been possible to create a reserve of this size this is to be addressed over the next two years. 

## **Future Plans** 

We plan to implement our strategic aims over the next two years. We want to address the challenge of some landlords being unwilling to work with us and plan to share endorsements from current landlords demonstrating our successful resident occupation and the improvements our residents have made to existing properties. 

We are considering the potential to house the families of men in recovery: something rarely offered in this sector. This can be lower risk since the family environment can aid recovery, there are options to sustainably exit the programme since a family can take over the rental independently, there are opportunities for a different type of community to be built around these residents, although we realise that we’d need strong measures in place to safeguard children, and any support worker would need to understand and represent the community being served. 

We have a strong desire for equality and want to work with women to meet the pressing need. We are aware of varying challenges around the different environments working with the female sector and need to consider a peer-to-peer figurehead with lived experience to match the charity model. 

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## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT HOPE AND VISION COMMUNITIES** 

## **Examiner’s unqualified report (for a non-company charity preparing accruals accounts) with a gross income of £250,000 or less in the relevant financial year.** 

## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Hope and Vision Communities.** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Hope and Vision Communities for the period ended 31 March 2021. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in 

carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

## **Independent examiner’s statement** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 

3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

## **Signed: JAMES TOTTMAN** 

Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales Address: 8 Woodfield Cottages,  Streatley Hill, Streatley on Thames, RG8 9PP Date: January 15th 2022 

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## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES HOPE AND VISION COMMUNITIES for the period ended 31 March 2021** 

|**Section A Receipts and**<br>**payments**||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**||**Endowment**<br>**funds**||**Total funds**||**Last year**|
||**to the**<br>**nearest £**||**to the**<br>**nearest £**||**to the**<br>**nearest £**||**to the**<br>**nearest £**||**to the**<br>**nearest £**|
|**A1 Receipts**||||||||||
|Fundraising|**1,192**||**2,692**||**-**||**3,884**||**-**|
|HMRC Gift Aid|**196**||**-**||**-**||**196**||**-**|
|Match Funding|**-**||**2,350**||**-**||**2,350**||**-**|
|Private Donations|**1,225**||**-**||||**1,225**|||
|Regular Donation|**100**||**-**||||**100**|||
|Private Givingnon Gift Aid|**1,750**||**-**||||**1,750**|||
|National Lottery grant|**-**||**10,000**||**-**||**10,000**||**-**|
|Unrestrictedgrants|**1,000**||**-**||**-**||**1,000**||**-**|
|Housingbenefit|**2,396**||**-**||||**2,396**|||
|Otherprimaryincome|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|Private rent|**1,900**||**-**||**-**||**1,900**|||
|Service charge|**433**||**-**||**-**||**433**||**-**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_<br>_AR)_|**10,191**||**15,042**||**-**||**25,233**||**-**|
|||||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment**<br>**sales,(see table).**||||||||||
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|||
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|||||||||||
|**_Total receipts_**|**10,191**||**15,042**||**-**||**25,233**||**-**|
|||||||||||
|**A3 Payments**||||||||||
|Advertising/ Promotion|**80**||**-**||**-**||**80**||**-**|
|Computer costs|**214**||**-**||**-**||**214**||**-**|
|Labour costs|**2,514**||**-**||**-**||**2,514**||**-**|
|Council tax|**756**||**-**||**-**||**756**||**-**|
|Legal andprofessional fees|**150**||**-**||**-**||**150**||**-**|



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|Office/ General<br>Administrative expenses|**35**||**-**||**-**||**35**||**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Otherprofessional services|**269**||**-**||**-**||**269**||**-**|
|Printing, postage and<br>stationery|**141**||**-**||||**141**|||
|Rent or lease of buildings|**2,800**||**-**||||**2,800**|||
|Supplies|**378**||**-**||||**378**|||
|Training|**280**||**-**||||**280**|||
|Travel and accommodation|**235**||**-**||||**235**|||
|Utilities|**513**||**-**||**-**||**513**||**-**|
|Volunteer expenses|**5**||**-**||**-**||**5**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**8,369**||**-**||**-**||**8,369**||**-**|
|||||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**<br>**purchases,(see table)**||||||||||
|Sofa|**50**||**-**||**-**||**50**|||
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|||
|**_Sub total_**|**50**||**-**||**-**||**50**|||
|||||||||||
|**_Total payments_**|**8,419**||**-**||**-**||**8,419**||**-**|
|||||||||||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**|**1,773**||**15,042**||**-**||**16,814**||**-**|
|**A5 Transfers between**<br>**funds**|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**A6 Cash funds last year**<br>**end**|**- 110**||**-**||**-**||**- 110**||**-**|
|**_Cash funds this year end_**|**1,663**||**15,042**||**-**||**16,704**||**-**|
|||||||||||



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|**Section B Statement of**<br>**assets and liabilities at the**<br>**end of theperiod**|**Section B Statement of**<br>**assets and liabilities at the**<br>**end of theperiod**||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**||**Details**||||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**||**Endowmen**<br>**t funds**|
|||||||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**||**to nearest**<br>**£**|
|**B1 Cash funds**||Barclays Account||||**1,663**||**15,042**||**-**|
|||-||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|||**_Total cash fund_**_s_||||**1,663**||**15,042**||**-**|
|||(agree balances with<br>receipts and payments<br>account(s))||||OK||OK||OK|
|||||||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**||**Endowmen**<br>**t funds**|
|||**Details**||||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**||**to nearest**<br>**£**|
|**B2 Other monetary assets**||-||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||||||||||||
|||**Details**||||**Fund to**<br>**which asset**<br>**belongs**||**Cost**<br>**(optional)**||**Current**<br>**value**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B3 Investment assets**||-||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||||||
|||**Details**||||**Fund to**<br>**which asset**<br>**belongs**||**Cost**<br>**(optional)**||**Current**<br>**value**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B4 Assets retained for the**<br>**charity’s own use**||Sofa||||||**50**||**50**|
|||-||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||||||
|||**Details**||||**Fund to**<br>**which**<br>**liability**<br>**relates**||**Amount due**<br>**(optional)**||**When due**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B5 Liabilities**||-||||||**-**|||



**SIGNED on behalf of the Board of Trustees: Peter Ross, Chairman Treflyn Lloyd Roberts, Treasurer January 2022** 

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