Homeless hostel charity Bristol Foundation Housing (BFH), which has just come out of administration, is seeking experienced business people to join its interim board.
BFH went into voluntary administration in August with the intention of re-emerging in a more financially healthy state. This has been achieved with financial support from the charity’s donors and supporters, and despite massive cuts in council funding. 
Now it needs business people to use their managment and financial skills and experience to ensure it has a sound future.
Interim trustee Tricia Davis, a former CEO of the charity, said: “BFH has a unique role because it houses a challenging client group which many other providers do not want to house. We cannot always get people to the desired ‘outcomes’ but we can help them get to a more stable place where their lives are not in danger. So it is fantastic news that BFH has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.”
While in administration, the charity was hit with an additional challenge: Bristol City Council withdrew 79% funding from nine city-wide BFH hostels, leading to the loss of 50 beds.
The residents formed Bristol Foundation Homeless Residents’ Association to fight the cuts and ask for negotiations. The decision to slash the funding hinged on a council review which BFHRA contests saying it is incorrect, anecdotal, and based on a small sample of interviews.
Despite the cuts, the charity is determined to continue its work helping break the cycle of homelessness. Some former residents have been rehoused.
The interim transition trustee board is putting out a call to the community to form a permanent board. “We are looking for people with sound business sense and a heart for the homeless,” says Tricia Davis.
Founded in 2008 to break the cycle of homelessness, Bristol Foundation Housing houses and supports people who would otherwise fall through the net. The charity's hostels house vulnerable adults, including people with learning difficulties, mental health issues, and women taking refuge from domestic violence, helping them break the homelessness cycle.
BFH has a proven record of reducing re-offending rates. Working with the Probation Service and others around Bristol, BFH has reduced re-offending rates by more than 50%, helping taxpayers’ costs by some £20 million each year.
The charity’s key benefactor is social landlords Connolly & Callaghan, which have been helping house the homeless in Bristol for nearly 30 years. It also sponsors Hamilton House, a social community hub in Stoke Croft.
Connolly & Callahan (C&C) co-founder and director Martin Connolly said: “While BFH management and residents fought hard for its survival and to protect one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, the council chose to substantially cut funds. C&C has underwritten all the on-going costs, allowed £3.1m to be written off BFH books and pledged its on-going support. Now the charity is healthy again, we look forward to BFH continuing its urgently-needed work helping people break the cycle of homelessness.”
“BFH’s mission is simple: it is about giving people who have gone from pillar-to-post, safe and lovingly-held spaces where they have time to make choices.”
