Member Article

Barratt Developments Yorkshire East rounds off charitable year with £35k donation to SASH

Local housebuilder, Barratt Developments Yorkshire East rounded off a successful year of support for vital causes across the region by confirming that a total of £34,538.40 was raised for its 2020 charity of the year, local youth homelessness charity, Safe and Sound Homes (SASH).

A series of initiatives over the course of the year including July’s Lap of Yorkshire Challenge saw the housebuilder raise the five-figure sum, which will be used to support young people from across the region who are facing homelessness.

A further contribution will be made to the charity in 2021, following the conclusion of Barratt Developments Yorkshire East’s recent Christmas present donations initiative.

SASH operates across York, North and East Yorkshire, helping young people aged 16-25 who are facing homelessness. Last year, the local charity helped over 300 young people to avoid homelessness, and arranged over 1,000 safe nights for emergency stays. SASH also has a Nightstop project which offers immediate help during a time of crisis, supporting individuals to find permanent accommodation. SASH’s Supported Lodgings scheme allows time to work with a young person for longer and provide more intensive support.

Daniel Smith, Managing Director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire East said: “Given the challenges so many vulnerable young people in the region will have faced this year, we’re proud to have been able to support SASH and the vital work the organisation does locally. We’re always keen to support the communities in which we build as much as we possibly can and hope the funds we’ve raised this year will make a difference to those the charity supports.”

The housebuilder has confirmed its plans to continue supporting SASH with a number of fundraising activities in 2021.

Linsey Trower, Communications and fundraising manager at SASH added: “We were very grateful to count on the support of Barratt Developments Yorkshire East over the course of last year, especially given the number of fundraising activities we’ve had to cancel due to Covid-19 restrictions. The funds raised will make a real difference to young people facing homelessness across the region.”

In addition to its support for SASH, Barratt Developments Yorkshire East also donated a further £12,000 to deserving local causes through its Community Fund initiative. Its Community Fund sees charities nominated and voted for by Barratt employees every month, with each chosen charity or cause given a £1,000 donation to support its positive work in the local community.

In December, the housebuilder also pledged £18,000 to the York City Knights Foundation, which will allow the club to continue offering free tickets to local youngsters following the move to its state-of-the-art LNER Community Stadium.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .