After a busy Christmas and New Year, we have now Auld Lang Syne’d our way in to 2025.
In truth, end of year celebrations brings little respite for the First People Housing staff and there is much to focus on as we embark on the new year. With that being said, I think it is important to highlight the wins – big and small, before putting the year in the rearview mirror. Nelson Mandela famously said: “The world needs moments of celebration. It’s a way to bring us together.” I agree with him, so this blog will provide insight on the successes we had in 2024 and some of our plans for the year ahead.
There were numerous milestones for the business in 2024, so I have broken them down into three categories: material successes, company developments and growth of notoriety.
To begin with, the material successes – the tangible results of the work at First People Housing.
In 2024, the company had a lot to celebrate. Previous work and acknowledgement allowed the business to open up eight new properties across Hertfordshire. With increased capacity, the business added 45 new clients, more than doubling the original headcount.
Furthermore, the business capacity will continue to grow, with three more properties opening in spring because of the work of the incredible people at FPH in 2024. This will bring the amount of beds to 104 – no mean feet for a business founded less than three years ago.
Alongside plans for growth, the business saw nine clients successfully transition into permanent accommodation, fifteen people successfully return to employment and re-offending among the clients was reduced. It is easy to be complacent with matters like this. While the staff at FPH of course sign up to make this happen, it does not mean it is easy. The staff have to deal with disappointment every day as a result of the job. To see the results of their work paying off with real-world case studies shows how important they are to bettering peoples lives. More achievements will be listed in this blog, but in truth the examples of clients improving their lives far outweighs any of the other successes the business can look back on.
Aside from the material successes listed, the business has also continued to develop.
Last year, First People Housing opened a sober-living household for people who are abstinent from drugs and alcohol. This is an important step in the efforts to continually help people suffering from addiction. Moreover, the team and company grew significantly last year. The existing office space in Hatfield grew as four new staff members were onboarded, including a new counsellor to work with perpetrators and victims of domestic violence. In addition to the Hatfield office, FPH signed leases for opening of two new office spaces set to open this year.
In trying to better the lives of men suffering from homelessness, rough sleeping, addiction, or domestic violence, FPH is dependent on funding to adequately assist. Funding was another area of success in 2024, with FPH receiving a grant to work on the Empowerment Project to aid victims of domestic abuse, all because of the remarkable work of the team in Hatfield.
The last area to celebrate is the growth of the business’ reach. With the addition of a social media specialist, the reach of the company online tripled – particularly on social media.
Earlier in the year, the FPH blog was launched. As the blogger, it is not my place to tell if it has been a success, but it has garnered strong impressions on LinkedIn in particular, notably getting shared by worldwide men’s health advocate Movember – further increasing the publicity of the business.
Importantly, the reach of the business did not only increase online. As mentioned, funding is extremely important for charities in this sector, and increasing the notoriety of the business goes hand in hand with this. The efforts and amazing work of the team resulted in the business meeting influential figures across the country. Senior leadership had the pleasure of meeting Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, where he was informed of the great work of FPH in rehabilitating ex-offenders. The team also met the East of England Probation Service for the same reason.
In what can only be described as an office highlight, the team in Hatfield also received a visit from Annie Brewster, High Sherrif for Hertfordshire, where the origins of the business, as well as case studies and ambitions moving forward were discussed. It also made a great photo opportunity for the leadership and office dogs, Ted and Milo.
As previously stated, the increase in office space and visits from important and noteworthy figures are great for the business, however the success stories of the clientele worked with on a daily basis significantly outweigh the other things to celebrate. Seeing hard work result in people truly bettering themselves, moving into permanent accommodation and gaining employment is what keeps the staff at the business.
As Madela said, we need moments of celebration. It is important to acknowledge achievement before immediately moving on to the next goal. I’m pleased the success and hard work of the business can be celebrated while looking ahead to what’s next.
The work of First People Housing will grow this year and hopefully there will be a similar blog in early 2026 with even more signs of growth from the business. As groundbreaking medical researcher, Jonas Salke said: "The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."