Registered Charity No. 233254 HOUSING THE HOMELESS CENTRAL FUND ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31st MARCH 2025 Housing tho Homalass Central Fund Forth¢ year onded 31 March 2025 CONTENTS Page Referer￿e and Administwative details Trnstees Report Independent Examlnerfs Report statement of Flnanda Activities Balance Sheet Notes to the Financial Statements 10-19 Houslng the Homeles5 Central Ftsnd Trust¢es' Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 Reference and Administrative Details Name of Charity: Housing the Homeles5 Central Fund {HHCF) Reglstsred Charlty No: 233254 Patrons: Professor Lord Peter Hennessy BA PhD Sir Andrew Pamiley PhD Bob Roberts MA MCLIP (Deceased- February 2025) Trustees: Elizabelh Rogula - Chair Keith Bottomley Christopher Hayward Henry Jones MBE Colin J Mason Wendy Mead OBE Ruby Sayed Jeremy Simons OBE Tony Zotti MBE Offlcers: Frankie Salton-cox. Clerk to the Trustees Andrew Fuller, Treasurer Reglstered Address: o Redmayne Bentley LLP Mortimore House. 40 Chatsworth Parad8. Petts Wood BR5 1DE stockbrokers: Redmayne Bentley LLP Mortimore House. 40 Chatsworth Parade. Petts WOLKI BR5 1DE Bankers: Virgin Money (Yorkshire Bank Plc) 177 Bothwell Street. Glasgow G2 7ER Independ8nt Examiner: Matthew B8ther ACA Moore (South) LLP Suite 3. Second Flo￿. Friary c￿[( 13-21 High Street Guildford. GU13DG Houslng the Homeless Central Fund Trustees, Report for tha year ended 31 March 2025 What we do The main aim of the charity is to alleviate povety ty supporting disadvantaged dients who are often isolated and extremelyvulnerdble. In pariicJJlar. we supportthose who are in dangeroflosing their hoffles. those moviw from the street or insltiutions into aco)mmodalion. those (xring for children in impoverished circumstances and those who have wffered some severe personal selbacK' this indudes victims of domestic Violen￿ or relattonship breakdowns, those l&aving the fOr￿S prison and those wth a history ofdrug or alcohol abuse. Sc*n¢ clients have been long-term rujgh sleepe￿, many suffering from physical and mental illness. We do this by issuing small grants. an average of approximately £200. mainly for essential household items. this may be a b￿. a cx)t, some bedding. a cooker, pots and pans. a kellle. a micrtr￿aVe. (XTpeting, fumitu￿ or a fridge. These items are mt only essential trArt can also change an empty Ilat into something more homely. In additionlo acquiring hovsehdd ilemsforcllents, occasionally we give grants for essential clothing and. in eX￿ptional circumstanc6s. for small rent arrears where this would prevent imminent homelessness. The reciprents, who come from a very WKle age range. will have been wovking with. and SUp[￿rted by. reccgnised S￿la1 welfare agenues such as Citizens Advice Bureau. H￿jSirrfj Associations, Probation SeNice. Women's Welfare Agencies. homeless outreach teams and SOCI￿ SeNI￿S. all of which have safeguaiding p)licies in place. We do rtol deal directly di8nts but give the grants to the key workers who Su[￿lse the expendi￿re and provide u5 ￿th receipts. As we are a small operation. wherever possible we aim to respond quickly to applicants.. this can be imwrtant. as dients, needs are freqUen￿Y urgent. The assistan￿ we give is often crucial in ensuring that resetttement is yJ(xe&thl by prO￿ing the foundalB)n for indrviduals to build a better life. MO￿ impcrtanly. it goes someway in preventing the collapse of ¢xre plans arml cat8pulting of individuab into rounds of homelessn￿ and despair. The long-term impact 1$ to improve considerably the than(Es Ihat the dients r&main housed armd, in particular. those who were homeless do not relum lo the streets. In a(klition. the grants can help dEnts regain self- esteem and confidence making it more like￿ that they get the appropriate medic81 Ixre and they remain in (or retum to) work. join traning prcorams or cx)ntlnue dbwpted studies. Structure, Governance and Management The Clerk to the Trustees is employed far two days perweek (spread overthe week) and is responsible for all the charity's activities. The Clerk is managed by a ￿Mmittee of Trustees, as listed in the previous section of this report. and the Chair is available to support the Clerk as and when ne￿SSary. The whole trustee b(xty meet5 three or four times per year. If necessary, 8ddittonal meetings can be called. The Trustees have th8 powerto elect new trustees provided that the total number oftrustees at no time exceeds eleven. The induction of naw Itustees and the continuing development of trustees is tailor8d to each trustee's ne￿IS depending on their knowlethJe and experien￿ of charities aThJ the specific sector within which HHCF works. The Risk Management Policy. the Complaints PoliGy. the Conffict-of-lnterest Policy. the Investment Policy. the Safeguarding Policy and the Data Proteclion Policy are in place and will be reviewed and agreed annually at the AGM. At ev8ry t￿￿tee meeling, the HHCF declaratmm of inknsts is brought up as an agenda item and acted upon if necessary. Objectives and ActÉvities Mary Ellison founded the Fund in 1964 when a Trust Deed was established to govem ts operatton of the Fund. The Fund is a regtsteted charity. No: 233254. The objects ofthe Fund as set out in the constitution are dedared lo be: Primarity to assist such Institutions and Foundations registered underthe Charhles Act 1960, and under Ihe Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1983. for providing housing arKI associated amenities for persons of limited means as provided for such persons as are homeless and in particular for such homeless persons as have children below schts)I leaving age orare expecting the birth of children, by financing such insEitutiorks or foundations whether by guarantees. donations or108n5 With or without security. Housing the Homeless Central Fund Trustegs, Report for Ihe year ended 31 March 2025 Providing housing and associated amenities for persons of jim￿ed means who are homeless and in parttcular for such homeless persons as have children below school4eawng age or ar8 exixting the birth of children. Ta make any donation either in cash or assets thich the Trustees may deem expedient ha￿ng regard to the general purposes of the Fund. The Trustees ￿nfi￿1 that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commi￿10nS general guidance on public benefjt when reviewing the Trust's aims and objective5 and in planning future activities and setting Ihe grant making wlicy for the year. The charity fuifils these objects generally by processing appli¢xtions from accredited social care agencies supporting dients in need. hardship and distress in three categories: Thos8 that are in danger of losing their homos or essential seThlces such as ga& el&ctriaty. water. for want of a litde help from a supportive friend 01 agency. Those caring for children in impoverished cirujmstances WFK) need basic essentials suGh as bedslbedding. o)oktng equipmeT¢ vrami clothing and the like. Those who hav8 tsced soma pernonal setback, such as domestic Up￿3val. a period in prison. mental illness, druwelated problems; and who are being encouraged to start again in a h(Hne of their own and n8ed basic equipment. We offer support to those in desperatè need a￿1 seek not to be judgementsl but to be ￿MpaSSIOnale and helpful. Our dients indude". Young people c(Mnlng out of care Elderly people wilhoul family or friends or whose saving5 are exhausted Victims of domestic threats and violence Acohol and Drug-abusers on rehabilitation courses Ex-offenders Victiins of theft and fire Working people on very low Incomes but who fall into the poverty trap Clients being supported by Wictim Support Schemes Single parent households Parents and children facrng the disaster of divor￿ proceedings The Fund is (wganised in suth a way as to avoid heavy administrative costs- the charity has just one part time employee and has no premis8s to maintain. The charity aims to have all administrative costs. including salary, met by investment Inco￿￿. the objedive is to enable all grants and donations made to us to go directly lo those in need. Investrn&nts held by the charity havo been acqulred in accordan￿ with the power6 avadable to the Trustees. Equality and Diversity The primary functlon of the charity is the distribution of small individual grants. mainty for essential household items. to IM￿VeriShed families and individuals via trusted agencAe5. Allocation of the grants is solely delermined by need- vle alloc8te to families and individuals regardless of theirability. disabilty. health. age, gender. ethnicity. race or LX)tour, religion. sexual orientation or status. Public Benefit The Trustees have. thrcAJghout Ihe year. paid du8 regard to the Charrty COMMIS￿On'$ guidance on Public Benefrt. The charivs activities benefft the public by helping meet the needs of the homeless Houslng the Homeless Cantral Fund Trustees, Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 and those in danger of losing their homes. All grants made during the year have been made In furtherance of our principle aim of suppyting such people. Achievements and Perforniance We have continued issuing small grants for which social care agencies appty on behalf of individuals for funding essential househdd items. We aim to resF#)nd quickly al 8 tirne when a litt18 extra financial help is vital. We hear that occasionally hom8less people with few belongings are ask8d to lake up occupan¢y of a¢¢ommLxJalion at very Short notice and they do not ev6n have basic items such as a bed. col. bedding. pots and pans, etc. Our 5tnall grants. usually betsyeen £100 and £300, can make a world of dirtfjrence and. indeed, can transfonn an ompty flat or bedstt into a home at a critical tirne. The signtficant impact our small grants can have, is illustraled by the comment made by one of our rtkajor donDrswho. afterrecgiving a detsiled report on howth8ir gr3nl was dislributed, observed that.￿latIvely mod8& are able, in some cases, lo totally transfonn an i￿dIV￿Uals lrfe and. ITn all ca$8s, make a consideT8ble d￿erence to th￿rIm￿g conditiong,. In the o)ntinuing very difficult financial dimate, where access to put￿[C [￿￿1$ is nN)re difficult than it used to be. the small grants given by Housing the Homeless Central Fund are perhaps even more important than in the past. In particular. the cuffent cost of living crisis Ixjntinues lo affect our Clients. as they are particularty vulnerable to increases in energy. fc¥xJ and accommodation price5. As a consequence of this and the continued Incwse in homelessness. we expect there will be an increase in applrcations to us thks year. We continue to apply to larger organisations for funds to support us. In addition, some charities to whom we apply tell us that they have had increase in demand for suppotl. thus making it more thffi¢ult for us. The Trustees havg noted that, akhough our njnning (x)sts are very low. the chanty was not qulle able to ￿lfIl its stated objective of invest￿￿Trt income Ixivering all operational (x)sts atthough the shortfall was only slighly higher than the previous year {see Financial Revsew). Fundraising A vartety olfundraising gvents took place during the year. all organIs￿j by the Clerk. In partiujlar. there were two succe55ful raffles which raised beiween them £1,772. a gin-tasting event, a talk on herbs, a sale of (lonated bags. gloves and scarves, an aftemoon tea event. a txrry and film night. and various other a¢hvities. The total raised from furKlraising events was £3,82112023124: £5,010)18ss direGt costs of £7512023124: £320) givirwJ nel incotne of£3.74612023124: £4,690) ￿fore the allocation of support costs under SORP IFRS 102) Se(x)nd Edition. Plans for Future Periods Despite the diffic￿ltIeS brotNJht al)out by global infiuences tcgether th the cOst￿f-r1vIng crisis and in(xeased fO￿J, energy and accommodation poverty. we have been able to contittue to give our usual support. As last year, this has n￿$$itated more communi¢xtion between our Clerk and the agencies we support. The key mmponent of our annual Flan is. as always, ￿Ing funds wh￿h Inthdes applications to grant gimng 2genci8s and the small fund-raising events arrangeil by the clerk. However. given the huge uncertainty which is the very nature of current finanual dimate, Ft rnakes it imFwible to know in advancÉ how many dients we will be ableto r8spond to typrovtding a grant. However. we endeavour to give wts to ever￿ who applies aTKJ rneets our criteria. alber( fora redu(%d aM(￿tt rfwrfunds are low. We continue to aim to have our operational (x)sts covered ty Investment in(x)rne so that all rrK)ney raised Irom other sources. can go to those in need. However. this wll continue to be chall8nging. The pwity for 2025r26 and. we may safely say for fulur8 years, wtll be to intensfy our efforts to raise sufficientknds, mainlyfrom Trusts & Fwndations. to help people who desperately need our suppcrt. The Houslng the Homeless Central Fund Trustees, Report for th8 y8ar ended 31 March 2025 Clerk will endeaVO￿ to in(￿se the number of applicaltons made lo larger charities and will continue to organise a variety of small fundraising events. In addFtK)n. the recruitment of rrore indivKJJal donors unthr the GiftAld scheme remains a priority. The Clerf(will continue to have directcontsctwith the agenctes applwng to us. This has a Iwo-fdd benefitr it enables us lo get to know the agenctes and enables the agencies to tetter understand our operations. It encourages further applications to the charty. Wherever possi￿0. the clerfK wll also continue to have dired contact with the organisations that make donations to us. Again. there is a two-fold benerrt. it makes us ￿tter known lo them and reinforces our continuing need for funds. Financial Review The diarity ended the year with a surplus on operatlons, bef￿e net realisedlunrealised gainsl(losses) on investments, of £15.103 (2023124: £(865)). Total income from donations exceeded that in 2023124. although this in¢ludes a &year grant of£30.000 of wh￿h onty the first yearfs instalment (<£10,000 has been received. These figures include restric*ed donations of £6,650 (2023124: £21.500} armj incurred restricted expenditure of £9.334 (2023124.. £17,450}. The restricted fund ended the year with a balan