Shelter has been around since 1966, when the Reverend Bruce Kenrick started Shelter in response to the massive housing crisis and inner-city slums of the 1960s. He and co-founder Des Wilson were outraged at the shocking conditions many families had to call home, and joined forces to create Shelter. Their vision was to create a national body that would speak out for the hidden homeless, and unite the work of different housing charities.
Their commitment to diversity and inclusiveness is a core value of Shelter’s work. This commitment is a social and moral responsibility, and informs everything they do. They’ve put their commitment into practice by assessing the equality and diversity impact of all of their services, and monitoring the diversity of their clients to help them understand the housing problems that different groups of people face.
Shelter believes that everyone should have a home. Their goal for 2012-15 is to help more people in housing need than ever before. They’re doing this by; supporting more families, increasing the capacity of their website and helpline, creating new integrated advice and support hubs in areas where there is the most need, putting their housing crisis back on the national agenda, investing in Shelter’s people and infrastructure and focusing on their outcomes.
Sarah is a working mum. She fell behind on her mortgage when her struggling employers were unable to pay her wages in full. Eventually the company folded, and Sarah and her colleagues were given just three days' notice.
With her income gone, the arrears on Sarah's mortgage increased until she was served a notice of repossession. Fearing homelessness for herself and her family Sarah came to Shelter.
'Shelter's adviser was amazing. She told me about getting housing support in case the worst came to the worst and gave me advice all the way through.
'Her support put me in such a positive frame of mind that I was willing