Ground-breaking partnership to deliver county-wide homelessness support

A major new collaboration between Shropshire’s three leading charities supporting homeless and vulnerable people - The Shrewsbury Ark, KiP, and Stay - has secured National Lottery Community funding to strengthen and expand homeless support and help prevent homelessness across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

Through the new Partners for Change project, people experiencing homelessness, in crisis or at risk of being homeless will receive consistent, and coordinated support—no matter where they are in the county.

“We know the needs and challenges of homelessness in our area, and a major one for all is keeping track of people when they leave our individual support services, and we’ve worked hard to come up with a strategy to address this, and one which is properly resourced,” explains Anton Goodwin, Director, The Shrewsbury Ark.

“This exciting landmark initiative shows what the charity sector can achieve when we work together—working alongside local authority and statutory partners to enhance the existing local homelessness response by bringing our services closer, improving coordination and strengthening the support available across the county. For the first time, The Shrewsbury Ark, KiP and Stay will operate through a single, joined-up partnership, sharing expertise and resources and putting clear information-sharing arrangements in place so that people don’t fall through gaps in provision,” continues Anton.

Key elements of the Partners for Change project include:

- A dedicated Wellbeing Support worker and Alcohol and Harm Reduction support worker serving the whole county, (based at The Shrewsbury Ark).

- An enhanced day centre in Wellington providing a safe place for practical help and support, as well as food, showers and laundry facilities.

- County-wide Intensive Crisis support workers, meeting people where they are, providing support, advice and building trust for those not yet ready to engage with other services or a day centre. In addition, supporting people with move-on and helping them sustain accommodation once housed, until they are settled and more independent (based with Stay).

- Joined-up, specialist support providing help and support with mental health, neurodiversity and alcohol and drug harm reduction. Backed by shared working, this will enable consistent support across the partnership.

Naomi Pay from Stay says: “Partners for Change means we can work as one team across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin—offering a safe place to go, and intensive support for people who are homeless or in crisis and don’t know where to turn. We’ll stay alongside people for as long as it takes, with shared case management so support doesn’t stop just because someone moves area. By helping people to connect and access additional services, we can support more people to move off the streets, rebuild stability and confidence, and become tenant-ready—able to sustain a tenancy and move towards long-term independence.”

Alan Olver MBE from KiP says: “We are very excited at the prospect of the ongoing development of our day centre in Wellington, and this joined up approach will enable more people in Shropshire to access the vital support they need to make positive changes in their lives. We are committed to working together to support people experiencing homelessness across Shropshire.”

Anton concludes: “This collaboration represents a hugely positive step forward for the entire county. By bringing together our strengths, supporting and learning from each other, we can provide more effective, compassionate, and consistent services to people who need them most.

“Applying for this funding has been a significant piece of work for all three charities; the bid has taken well over a year to develop, and involved nearly 40 pages of bid content, and multiple online and in person meetings. We are hugely grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for the support they have given us during this process and for granting us this much needed funding.”

“A huge thank you to all everyone who continues to support our three charities – without your support to sustain our core care and support services, we would not be able to come together to work in this way.”

The Partners for Change project has funding for three years, and will begin delivery of services 1 September 2026.