The battle to get 26,000 people in Leeds into safe homes has been given a £30,000 boost
It’s a shocking fact that 26,000 people in Leeds need proper homes yet 4,000 houses lie empty.
Now, non-profit making organisation Latch has received £30,000 in unrestricted funding from Leeds Building Society to continue to provide long-term supported accommodation and community outreach to those affected by homelessness, addiction and social isolation.
Founded in 1989, Latch was set up to work on derelict empty properties with homeless volunteers to create their own housing. Approximately 26,000 people in Leeds have some level of housing need, whilst an estimated 4,000 houses lie cold and empty.
We’re deeply grateful to LBS for their generous £30,000 grant to LATCH. This funding represents much more than financial support; it's a vote of confidence in our mission and a recognition of the team’s hard work; it will help so much while costs are rising and demand for our service.
Between 1990 and 2024, Latch has transformed 110 empty properties in Leeds into homes, helping over 600 adults and children to have a positive new start in the past ten years, including supporting over 240 tenants to move on to independent living. Alongside this, Latch provides training and volunteering opportunities for their tenants, allowing them to gain formal skills in both construction and health and safety.
As a result, most of the refurbishment work is done by Latch staff and unemployed trainees. Some have construction experience already, while others learn new skills as they work on site. When they’re fully modernised and furnished, our properties provide energy efficient supported housing for people who are homeless or in housing need and are ready to make positive changes in their lives.
Latch acts as a stepping stone to independent living, with tenants able to benefit from specific support services to help them to make positive changes in their lives.
Latch received an unrestricted grant after applying for Leeds Building Society’s Fund150 programme, offering a share of £150,000 as part of the Society’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Organisations could apply for an unrestricted grant of up to £30,000, provided that their organisation aligned with the programme’s aim of supporting vulnerable people to find a place to belong through housing and their community.
Five organisations across the UK have been awarded funding, including Latch, following selection through a panel of building society colleagues who are passionate about supporting their community. The Society was particularly impressed by the pioneering model the charity uses, offering a stable home for residents and improving the availability of safe and affordable housing in Leeds.
John Brenan, Corporate Affairs Lead at Leeds Building Society, said: “We’re pleased to be able to offer this funding and celebrate our mutual roots by giving back to communities and empowering people across the UK into safe and secure housing. We are continually impressed by Latch’s commitment to the community in Leeds. They have a brilliant track record of helping vulnerable people in Leeds, and their tenants are at the heart of everything they do, with support tailored to each person’s individual needs.”
To be eligible to apply for an unrestricted grant of up to £30,000, an organisation had to:
- Be a non-profit organisation, this includes but is not limited to registered charities, CIOs, Community Benefit Societies and Community Interest Companies.
- Have a governing document and organisational bank account.
- Have a turnover of £5 million or less.
- Be based in and delivering work in the UK.
- Be aligned with the Society’s aim of supporting vulnerable people to find a place to
- belong through housing and their community.
- Be able to provide a full year’s audited or independently examined accounts.
UK’s fifth-largest Building Society with assets of £31.6bn and a total membership of 991,000.