A homeless charity have shared their "devastation" after their vital transport has been stolen.
In December 2022, one of the vans belonging to Leeds Action to Create Homes (LATCH) was stolen in the middle of the night and has "never been found". The charity, who work to renovate empty and abandoned houses turning them into supported housing for homeless people, were able to get £3000 from insurance but that will cover only 50 percent of the cost to replace the vital transport.
Fundraising Manager Ruth Frost said: "It was like a gut punch when we found out , we just couldn’t believe it, especially because the van was sign written so whoever took it must’ve known it belonged to a local charity. Our team need the van to get to site and pick up supplies, this has had such a big knock on effect on our work and it’s a cost we hadn’t budgeted for."
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Ruth added: "After the initial shock we did joke that the van could’ve done with a bit of a clean on the inside, it was one of those situations where if you didn’t laugh about it you’d cry. We’ve struggled on, a van down, since December waiting for the insurers to pay out. It’s been a tough winter for a lot of people and we’ve had to dip into our reserves to help our tenants out with prepayment energy top ups and other emergency costs."
She said: "We’ve set up a fundraiser in the hope that people across Leeds, see and appreciate what we do in the community and will want to help us to continue. There are so many people in Leeds in desperate need of a home and so many empty properties in Leeds, we’re doing something about that problem but we’re really struggling without that van."
It's estimated that around 4,500 privately owned homes in Leeds are sitting empty, many on a long-term basis, yet there are more than 5,000 people in the city with what's known as 'Band A' housing status - the highest level of housing need. LATCH is addressing this need by converting empty homes into housing for people who are homeless.
LATCH has been creating homes for homeless people in Leeds since 1989 and has renovated over 105 empty houses into homes in that time, mainly in Harehills and Chapeltown but also in Ireland Wood, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill. Supporting thousands of homeless people over the last 35 years to move on to settled independent living and successful lives.
LATCH have started a fundraising page, with a target of raising £3000, to be able to buy a used van. To donate, click here.
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