The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 62: August/September 2022 | Page 46

POSITIVE BUSINESS

Helping Swindon ’ s homeless charity with legal advice

A programme to increase available bed spaces for Swindon ’ s homeless people is being supported with legal advice from Optimum Professional Services .
The scheme by Swindon ’ s homeless charity Threshold , which this year marks its 50th anniversary of helping the town ’ s homeless , involves purchasing its own additional properties and also partnering with private property owners to utilise HMOs ( houses in multiple occupation ) and other properties in the town .
Now the charity is on course to more than double its amount of available bed spaces this year , which are used as temporary supported accommodation by homeless people , providing a stepping stone to having their own independent place to live .
“ We have an ambitious development plan which will enable us to be even more socially and positively impactful ,” said Michael Keenan , Threshold ’ s Chief Development Officer . “ That plan includes acquiring our own freehold properties and partnering with private investors and landlords .”
Threshold bought a new property in 2021 , for which Optimum carried out the conveyancing . This was the first freehold purchase by Threshold in many years , and the house is being used as a homeless SWAP – Sex Worker Accommodation Project – the first of its kind in Swindon . “ We have seen a massive spike in the number of deeply traumatised and vulnerable women who are having to resort to prostitution just to make ends meet ,” said Michael . “ This project has now been running for ten months and is going extremely well , managing to accommodate women previously marginalised with no reasonable and timely options to leave behind rough sleeping and the additional dangers that represented for them .”
Threshold worked with Optimum to shape a legal framework to make it simple for property owners and landlords to partner with Threshold to deliver projects that represent value and security to
landlords , while helping landlords and investors to support positive social impact through their partnership with Threshold .
“ Optimum ’ s work for us has been outstanding in presenting a clear and fair agreement for our partners to consider , which has made our process of expansion much smoother and transparent for all parties ,” said Michael .
“ We have now attracted private investors and property owners who are buying property specifically to our specifications so they can partner with us and enjoy contributing to the work we do and have a sound return on investment also . Investors are purchasing properties to lease to us , and existing HMO owners are transitioning their properties to Threshold in order to help those most in need of housing .”
One recent acquisition leased to Threshold was dedicated for LGBTQ + guests , which is another first for Threshold and for Swindon .
Michael added , “ We are very keen to hear causes dear to our supporters ’ hearts and of course we are also keen to fill gaps and meet needs that are often acute but overlooked or under-met .”
Iain Mason , Head of Legal at Optimum , said he was delighted to have been able to support Threshold .
“ This is a very forward-thinking and creative way of increasing the provision for Swindon ’ s homeless people , which is proving a huge success , and we are delighted to have been able to contribute ."
For more info : www . thl . org . uk / www . optps . co . uk

The latest news from Smarter Media

Giving back in business enriches team spirit

By Emma Carter managing director of the Swindon-based digital marketing agency .
Does your business ‘ give back ’ to the community or to charity ? If not , you may well be giving an edge to your competition .
Why would I say that ? Companies which show caring and social purpose are increasingly attractive to employees . A recent report said ‘ people power is on the up ’ and ‘ workplace happiness ’ is increasingly important .
It ’ s no secret that we have challenges around recruitment in Swindon , Wiltshire and the South West .
As companies operate a more flexible working model , more and more people can make different life choices around where they live and who they work for . This can present a challenge for some SMEs where they simply cannot offer higher salaries .
One way to make a company more attractive is to show a ‘ caring ’ side too . At Smarter Media we have always believed in fundraising for charity and taking part in community events .
46 www . tbeswindonandwilts . co . uk
Recently our chairman Karl Paul ran the gruelling Race to the Stones along the Ridgeway , running 100km in 24 hours , all for charity .
His first child Oscar was cared for at a specialist neo-natal unit Bristol in 2010 when he was born prematurely . Karl and his wife Charlotte were given a room nearby at Ronald McDonald House to be close to their son . Oscar put up a brave fight and sadly passed away at 28 days old . Since that time the Paul family – and Smarter Media – have ‘ given back ’ to the charity which helped little Oscar .
This latest event saw Karl run for over 18 hours pounding out more than 128,400 steps , burning off over 6,700 calories and ending at 5.30am on a Sunday morning . He has so far raised well over £ 1,500 and this brings the total to more than £ 70,000 since Oscar ’ s passing .
Here ' s how we explain what we do at Smarter Media :
We are a digital growth agency using our ‘ Smarter Approach ’ to help your business grow digitally . Working side by side with you , we use our Smarter Way Process to create a plan that delivers results and our Smarter Promise to share what we do , why we do it & the outcomes both good & bad !
If you want to find out more about us or talk to us about how we can make you very visible in our digital world , get in touch on : 01793 292 171 or via : hello @ smarter-media . co . uk