It Takes a City (Cambridge)
It Takes a City was established at the Cambridge Summit on Homelessness in 2018 as a community response to rough sleeping and homelessness, bringing together organisations and people from the public, private and third sectors, and those with lived experience of homelessness, to develop new solutions and services that complement and support the work of local authorities and agencies.
We are a Cambridge homelessness partnership that works with some of the city's most disadvantaged rough sleepers and others who are vulnerably housed.
Our vision is that everyone should have somewhere to call home that is safe, secure, connected, supported, a place to flourish and build community.
Originally set up to provide opportunities for people to look at innovative new ideas, the pandemic changed everything and led to It Takes A City delivering the ‘Everyone In ‘ initiative on behalf of Cambridge City Council housing up to 60 rough sleepers.
After the pandemic the City Council chose to maintain the model for accommodation developed during the pandemic rather than returning to communal sleeping on church floors. This way of working has become Crossways, our winter emergency accommodation project in Chesterton for 20 rough sleepers who are provided with ensuite bedrooms, running from November to March every year.
We work in partnership with other specialist organisations including Cambridge Churches Homeless Project, who support the project with volunteers who provide companionship for guests, help with housekeeping and provision of a hot cooked meal each day, additional resources to purchase food and a dedicated Volunteer Coordinator to work with all members of the Crossways volunteer team.
Crossways volunteers are a diverse group, reflecting all sectors of Cambridge society (aged 18+ due to the nature of the project). There are volunteer roles during the day or in the evening on every day of the week and most roles do not require specific skills, qualifications, or experience.
‘Helping at Crossways was a great experience for me. It was a great way to get out of the student bubble and really opened my eyes to how communities can come together to support those who need it most.’ —M (Student).
We also provide support for those on their journey from street to home, including those who will be housed in our new modular homes project, via our ‘Survive and Thrive’ service. Former rough sleepers receive help from our highly experienced Support Services Manager, partner agencies and volunteers.
We manage and maintain www.streetsupport.net/cambridgeshire, a county-wide mobile-friendly website that makes it easy to find help and to give help to those in need. Can you help to promote this more widely and build and maintain the content?
The It Takes a City Community Land Trust, a charitable community benefit society, was formed in 2020 by the ITAC housing group to facilitate the provision of supported homes through social investment for rough sleepers and those stuck in hostel accommodation. It coordinates land acquisition, planning, construction of homes, infrastructure, support and housing management. It aims to provide 20 supported homes a year, building lives and communities. Are you able to help the ITAC CLT with any of the following needs?
- Land – we need land that we can rent for a number of years and / or purchase, for schemes of size 6 homes and upwards. Larger sites will be “hubs”, including training, employment and community facilities, with many smaller satellite sites. At the present time we are working with some major regional landowners to create a short-list of sites to take to planning.
- Homes – we have initiated the construction of a number of very small self-contained single detached homes using modern modular technology. They are built in a training environment for young people and others needing help to get back into work. A previous project led by one of our Directors installed 6 such homes at Christ the Redeemer Church in Cambridge on Newmarket Road. We are also working with academic partners on the feasibility of off-grid utility solutions.
- Schemes – we will use the homes and the land to create micro-communities where former rough sleepers can feel at home, safe and secure, with access to support. Partner groups and co-located enterprises (at hub sites) will provide mentoring and employment opportunities combined with professional support from local partners, to address the issues that brought our residents to homelessness and prevent their return to the streets. We will have the flexibility to provide truly affordable rents for residents whether in or out of work. There will be accommodation for site wardens and community workers to help keep people stay safe and become connected.
- Finance – investors can purchase micro-homes directly from our construction partner New Meaning Foundation, and lease them to us when installed on our sites. Or they can invest in one of our Share Schemes, used to purchase micro-homes, finance infrastructure and cover development fees and costs. Our first Share Scheme is raising the costs for planning applications, professional fees, fund raising and project management for our first site. Our next Share Scheme will raise the funds for delivery of our first site or sites ready for occupancy. We will also be able to accept donations.
- Resources - as with ITAC, the ITAC CLT is not ambitious to create a large organisation but to work with partners in professional services, land, construction, property and finance.
Give someone a ladder and they will climb.
