About SpringBoard Housing (SBH)

The SpringBoard Housing (SBH) project was created by Mac Macdonald, the founder and CEO of the registered charity FLOW for ALL (SC05066).  

Homeless veterans:

Mac says, “Over far too many years, we have all heard the stories and various statistics of homeless veterans on our streets. However, it appears what little has been done to address this issue is insufficient, and what is needed is something slightly different in terms of housing” 

SpringBoard Housing project:

FLOW is keen to establish a growing community of homes across the UK with the assistance of local councils, housing organisations, local charities and local communities. More than that, it wants this not to be isolated, independent houses, but a growing network of those houses, with all the councils, housing organisations, and other bodies working collaboratively to make a difference. 

It is also hoped that the central government will support FLOW’s SpringBoard Housing project by funding the employment of house managers and support staff. This is a low-cost project offering excellent returns in this budget-cursed UK housing crisis. 

Whilst we will prioritise veterans, if none are waiting, we will take in other homeless individuals. However, before anyone decides to apply for temporary accommodation in one of our houses, they must be fully aware of how we intend to manage our homes and those who live in them. 

How is the SBH project different? 

Every house will be run and managed in a militaristic, almost boot camp style, utilising the “Buddy-buddy” system that many UK veterans will have experienced throughout their service. Through this rules-based environment, we aim to return veterans to the mindset in which they once performed at their best. We aim to build confidence, self-esteem, and a belief in their capabilities, among other things. All individuals claiming veteran status will be verified by the Ministry of Defence to confirm that they have served in the UK armed forces and are entitled to use the title of veteran and therefore a place in the house. 

If there are no homeless veterans in the area, we will happily welcome non-veterans into our homes; however, any non-veterans invited due to the unavailability of homeless veterans must sign the same contract. 

All those accommodated in our homes will not be tenants, as our charity will be the leaseholder. All those living in our homes will be our “guests”. This means they will have no rights as renting tenants; therefore, if they do not follow the rules, they will be asked to leave the house. 

All guests must sign a temporary guest contract agreeing to comply with all house rules. 

A sample of house rules includes:

• Keeping yourself clean and presentable at all times. 
• Keeping your room clean and presentable at all times (yes, there will be room inspections). 
• Having each other’s backs inside and outside of the house. 
• Completing your assigned block jobs. 
• Helping to cook or clean up, and helping manage all the waste, ensuring bins are put out for emptying. 
• Attending mandatory learning to develop your skills, including CV writing and interview skills. 
• Completing an application for local housing. 
• Obeying the rules around alcohol consumption and the use of illegal substances. 
• Obeying the code of conduct and supporting your housemates as and when you can. 
• Violence or aggressive behaviour against housemates or staff will result in immediate eviction. 
• Supporting our registered charity through fundraising events in the local area, and talking at schools to educate young people through your story and journey. (Voluntary). 
• Agree to work hard and be committed to finding employment, which we will help you do through the Community Support Group (CSG) that we hope to build in and around the local communities of our homes. 

Training:

To help prepare individuals for their progression, mandatory training sessions will be held on topics such as CV writing, interviews, management, leadership, and emotional intelligence, as well as sessions provided by local support services, including counselling and therapeutic sessions. 

Once we’re up and running, if you're a veteran on the streets or know of one, we want to hear from you so we can arrange a chat with the applicant needing housing to determine if they’re eligible to live in one of our homes and get you on the application route as soon as possible. Please note that this project is in its planning stages and will not be accepting guests until we have the houses to place people into.  

SBH believes that everyone deserves a place to call home, and we’ll help you get there as long as you help us in return (Buddy buddy system). 

Our mission is to welcome eligible individuals into our houses, assist them in getting back on their feet, and “SpringBoard” them from our house to more permanent social housing homes of their own. 

Once a person has moved into their more permanent home, we hope that they will help those who come into our homes, support them, and assist them in finding their own homes and employment. 

Funding:

We are setting out with an audacious target of raising £10m in ten years for the charity. 

Why so much? We have looked at all the angles of what we’re trying to achieve and we believe that the best way to succeed in the long term is to own the properties outright. 

It also allows us to be very selective when purchasing the building as it needs to be in the right place with the right amenities close by.   

Shortly we will be reaching out to organisations and individuals to help us fund our SpringBoard Housing Project.