Fife’s biggest anti-poverty project launches new Houses To Homes initiative

Led by the Cottage Centre, it will help people furnish and repair their homes, and gain vital new skills at the same time.

It’s the latest offshoot from the Big House initiative which has escalated at a remarkable pace since teaming up with Amazon and a host of businesses to get surplus goods to families in need.

In just eight months, it has supported almost 34,000 families - its target was 13,000 over a full calendar year - and distributed some 210,000 goods worth £4m.

The project now embraces 66 local charities, 150 schools, a host of health centres and GPs, social work teams foodbanks and pantries, and community organisations.

The ethos behind Houses To Homes is to ease the pressures on families who can’t afford to call out tradesmen, even for vital repairs, and help turn their house into a proper home.

It has a started to create a network of volunteers, painters, joiners and tradesmen thanks to the support of businesses in Fife - and they will also help to upskill people as they make the best possible use of all the surplus goods donated by major retailers.

The initiative was launched at the Bell Group, which is based in Mitchelston Industrial; Estate, Kirkcaldy.

The painting, decorating and maintenance company has been a supporter of the Cottage Centre’s efforts from the very start.

Its base will have a training area where people can learn the basics before going on to make improvements to their home.

Les Sinton, manager, said: “It’s all about giving them the confidence to get started, and here we will provide the experience to help them upskill.”

Gordon Brown, patron of the Cottage Centre, visited the company’s Lang Toun base to launch the initiative.

He said: “The Cottage Centre has found that families cannot afford to call out a joiner, electrician or painter when their homes are in need of improvements, sometimes even when urgent repairs are needed on safety grounds.

“We will now have a team of people who can help. I am pleased this is a new addition to the services on offer.”Although it isn’t an employability project, the team behind it hope the skills gained will help people and open more doors to possible jobs as a result.

Pauline Buchan, who runs the Cottage Centre, said: “As people get more skills they can move on. That’s the way out of poverty.

“We also want to make their homes better. For too long, people trapped in poverty have sen things deteriorate and not been able to afford to do the work.

“This project provides that help and opportunity. Business such as Bell Group can train them up and give them new skills.”

The Big House project has become Fife’s single biggest anti-poverty project - and one catching the attention of a number of other areas.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, visited its Lochgelly warehouse last week.

A number of businesses and retailers have also come on board as demand for help grows.