Many homeless individuals experience the 'revolving door' syndrome. They want to live in their own accommodation, but, once there, experience huge difficulties because of problems like substance abuse, alcoholism and poor mental health. The result is that they abandon their tenancies and return to the streets.

West London Mission (WLM) decided that the solution lay in creating a 'Big House' - temporary, move-on accommodation combined with intensive pre- and post-tenancy support. To do this, they acquired a suitable property in Camberwell Road with a view to converting it into ten self-contained studio flats. A key element was that the accommodation should be of a high standard to raise residents' self-esteem and encourage belief in their own capabilities.

Which is where CRASH came in.

CRASH is a homelessness charity supported by the construction and property sector. It assists in building projects by asking its supporters and patrons to supply materials, manpower or professional services either free or at charitable rates. In the case of Big House, the project team reckoned CRASH's input allowed them to make savings worth £30,000 during the refurbishment.

The WLM Big House has been fully operational since May and has been so successful that already some residents have gained the confidence to move out into their own tenancies.

If you'd like to help CRASH make a material difference to the problem of homelessness in the UK, please contact us today. Phone: 020 8742 0717; Fax: 020 8747 3154; E-mail: crash@crash.org.uk; website: www.crash.org.uk