IKEA's generous donation to city homeless project

Ahead of the opening of their new Sheffield branch next summer, IKEA donated more than £2,000 worth of household items - ranging from home starter packs to lamps, tables and soft furnishings - to the Sheffield Thursday Project.

Run by South Yorkshire Housing Association, the project works with people from across the city who have a history of homelessness and have a variety of other needs - including mental health problems, anti-social behaviour, alcohol and substance misuse.

Working alongside customers, the project gives them a safe place to call home, and aims to build up their confidence, teach them life skills and help them to find a permanent place to live. In the last five years over 95 per cent of the people the project has worked with have been able to find and live independently in their own new home.

Andrew Laycock, service manager at the Sheffield Thursday Project, said: “Most customers don’t have any possessions or funds to purchase even the most basic of items. The furniture will make such a difference to the lives of our customers, and really help them to settle into their new home.

“We can’t thank IKEA enough for their kind donation and we hope to continue our relationship with them for years to come.”

The news also coincides with SYHA’s plans to mark the 50th anniversary of Ken Loach’s landmark homelessness film, ‘Cathy Come Home,’ SYHA will be running a range of events in the new year that aim to explore how the issue of homelessness has changed since 1966.