Charity partnership helps families make their house a home

A community-led charity partnership is helping to deliver furniture to struggling families.

A recently-launched partnership between furniture company Sofology and the charity Home-Start has donated furniture sets to 56 families in need.

Home-Start is a community network of trained volunteers and expert support to help families with young children in need. 

In the current cost-of-living crisis, Home-Start Southwark, in Great Dover Street, Borough, has been supporting families in the area who are struggling to afford basic essentials.

Cheryl Rhodes, chief executive of Home-Start Southwark, said: “We help local families through some incredibly challenging times, and we are very grateful on their behalf to Sofology for playing a part in helping them build their lives up again.

 “We look forward to further developing our partnership over the coming months.” 

Families struggling with post-natal depression, isolation, physical health problems, bereavement and many other issues receive the support of a volunteer who will spend around two hours a week in a family’s home supporting them in the ways they need. 

Sofology has helped in these efforts by providing sofas and other pieces of furniture for families building their lives back up in new homes.

Emma Dinnis, managing director of Sofology, said: “We are proud to work with Home-Start as we strive to make a real difference in our communities. 

“The possibilities of this partnership are endless as we seek to find innovative ways of fundraising and volunteering with the charity, but we are also pleased to be able to support in a very direct way by seeing some of our sofas go to people who really need them and play a small part in making a difference to these families’ lives.”

So far, as part of the partnership, the in-store Pennies scheme has raised more than £15,000 for Home-Start UK.

Families in new homes by Home-Start UK (Picture: Home-Start UK)