CRASH delivers extensive refurbishment of move-on house for homeless women and men in London.

Kairos Community Trust, is dedicated to helping homeless men and women with drug and alcohol problems. They do this through their abstinence-support hostel, rehabilitation programmes and a network of 29 supported move-on houses in London.

CRASH and Kairos have a long-standing relationship and with the help of CRASH’s Corporate Patron companies, we last delivered a project together in 2019 to provide an extension and three additional en-suite rooms in a much-needed home for people recovering from homelessness and addiction.

Homelessness and addiction are twin problems, and Kairos believes that the journey to recovery begins in a safe, secure environment which people can call home.

The need

Kairos applied to CRASH for help to extend and renovate one of their move-on houses which was desperately in need of an extensive refurbishment. Kairos was using the upper floor of the property as supported accommodation for six people on their journey from homelessness to independent living. The ground floor housed Kairos’ ‘Garden Day Programme’ delivering a 12 week recovery and rehabilitation model to non-residential clients.

The multi-use property needed updating so that Kairos could focus on doing what they do best and delivering move-on accommodation and specialist care. In their application for support to CRASH, Mossie Lyons, Director at Kairos Community Trust described the property as having:

“A living area that is in very poor condition and a therapy area that is cramped and restrictive. The resident’s area needs to be refurbished while the space used by the ‘Garden Day Programme’ could benefit from an extension”

The solution

With the support of CRASH and our Corporate Patrons, the property was extended to create a new kitchen/diner, bathrooms, counselling rooms and group therapy rooms. The extensive works have enlarged and enhanced the property, making it much more welcoming and homely to the residents and day programme clients. The improvements have given residents a safe space to continue their journey from homelessness to independent living, benefitting Kairos and its service users for many years to come.

How CRASH Corporate Patrons helped

CRASH collaborated with several Corporate Patron companies to transform the building and improve the facilities offered to residents as well as clients in the recovery programme. AECOM and Arcadis provided professional expertise and expert advice throughout the project, whilst Bauder, British Gypsum, Forterra, Geberit, Hanson and Morrisroe Group donated product and materials to complete the works.

The support provided by CRASH and our Patron Companies saved Kairos a huge £52,819 off the final project cost, this included:

The significant saving in construction costs will enable Kairos to focus their resources and time on supporting their residents and clients across London, helping more people on the road to recovery.