Re-use hub for London residents opens

Southern Housing group ReUse Hub

Southern Housing Group has joined forces with Groundwork London and London Community Resource Network (LCRN) to deliver a community re-use centre at Warner Road Estate in Camberwell, London.

 

The programme, called Repurpose London, will see the Group open a recycling hub to offer a collection and re-sale service for its residents that will take furniture and electrical items.

 

With funding from the European Commission’s LIFE+ programme, Repurpose aims to offer residents a repair and upcycling service to give unusable items a new lease of life and provide low-cost items to people who need them.

 

The programme will employ a Re-use Coordinator and a Re-use Assistant to run the hub. It will also offer a wide range of volunteering opportunities and accredited training for residents and estate staff.

 

The service will play a significant role in reducing the amount of fly tipping on the estate as well as providing affordable household items and will help residents develop new skills at the same time.

 

Jonathan Cavanagh, Resident Services Manager at Southern Housing Group, said that the program will improve the local environment and encourage residents not to waste their unwanted goods. “This is an exciting opportunity for Southern Housing Group as it hasn’t been trialled before in London, so we’re delighted to be involved. “The hub will contain a workshop, storage space and retail area to provide a collection service for residents to donate their unwanted items. The hub’s staff and volunteers will also collect any unwanted bulky items that are dumped on the estate for upcycling purposes. This is a great initiative as it not only delivers a sustainable approach to waste management and provides great volunteering opportunities, but it will also benefit our residents on low incomes as they’ll be able to buy upgraded furniture at a low-cost.”

 

Natalie Sexby, a Southern Housing Group resident at Warner Road Estate who has already volunteered to take part, said that she was interested in getting involved because she wanted to be a part of something that would benefit her local community.“I also wanted to gain some more experience volunteering to help me get back into work and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.” I’m really looking forward to helping out at the re-use hub and already can’t wait to see the finished product of some of the furniture that we’ll be working on.”
The re-use centre is due to open on Warner Road Estate in October and is part of a broader programme run by Groundwork London with four other housing associations also taking part.

 

The programme will also hold ten community events and work with local schools to help bring the community together.

 

Southern Housing Group is a member of the g15, which represents London’s 15 largest housing associations. The g15 houses one in ten Londoners and builds a quarter of London’s new homes. We are working to solve the housing crisis by delivering good quality, affordable homes of all types.

 

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