Merseyside
Hundreds of EitC participants benefit from transformed community venue
Hundreds of participants from across Everton in the Community’s Children and Youth Services will benefit from a renovated delivery venue thanks to the generosity of North West social housing provider, Onward Homes.
Located just a stone’s throw from EitC’s £13million+ Goodison Campus, 41 Goodison serves as a crucial ‘front door’ for young people across the charity’s Youth Inclusion programmes and houses its Interventions project.
In recent years, the facility has been developed into a dedicated safe space for participants living with a variety of complex challenges including special educational needs, developmental disabilities and poor mental health. The addition of a sensory room has been widely used by SEND groups including neurodiverse young people from EitC’s ‘Safe Hands’ programme.
Onward is one of the largest registered providers of social housing based solely in the North West of England, with the purpose of enabling customers to be their best by providing homes that people love in places they are proud of. Its retrofit project is currently underway in Kirkdale, with decarbonisation works making over 400 homes warmer, quieter and more comfortable for customers.
Onward and its contractor, Novus Property Solutions, transformed the garden at the house into a relaxing and therapeutic haven for the charity’s participants by installing decking, painting the exterior walls and adorning the outdoor space with brand-new garden furniture.
As part of Novus’ partnership with Onward, the leading contractor committed to donate £100,000 in social value to communities across the city. Following on from them gifting 10 slow cookers to EitC for local families last January, Novus’ latest gesture saw them help to revive the outdoor space at 41 Goodison.
Additionally, Onward donated laptops and a digital smartboard which has been installed inside the house through its ‘Digital Connect’ initiative. The young people from across EitC’s Children and Youth Services will hugely benefit from these technological resources, enabling them to develop invaluable digital skills and targeted support in a nurturing environment.
Jenny Harden, EitC’s Youth Inclusion Manager said:
“We’re grateful to both Onward Homes and Novus Property Solutions for their generous donations. The digital resources and the revamped garden space will massively benefit the young people we work with.
“We’ve made great strides in providing tailored support for our participants who live with a variety complex needs and these additions to 41 Goodison have helped to enhance that offering even further.”
Joanne Danaher, Director of Housing and Home Ownership at Onward commented:
“Last year, we started work to make homes warmer, quieter and more comfortable for customers in Kirkdale. As part of this, we are also investing into the community here through projects that share our commitment to enable people to be their best.”
“We are delighted to partnered with Everton in the Community and our contractors Novus Property Solutions to help deliver this safe space that will make a meaningful difference to the lives of our customers and allow young people here to thrive.”
Mark George, Head of Operations at Novus Property Solutions added:
“We are proud to be working in partnership on the energy efficiency improvements contract with Onward, and through this partnership we are committed to delivering additional social value in the local community. The Novus team are proud to have played a part in improving the facilities at this Community Allotment project for the benefit of the local community.”