Oasis Community Housing opened its Gateshead drop-in for people who are homeless eight years ago.
Demand for Basis@Gateshead was high from the start and the project quickly outgrew the original premisis on the town’s High Street.
But it wasn’t until November 2018, after a lot of hard work, that the charity was finally able to move the project to a larger building: Progress House, on Warwick Street.
The bigger building is an ideal base for the drop-in and the charities other services, but staff still yearned to turn the blank canvas into something more colourful and inspiring for visitors.
And that’s where JMDA came in. JMDA are experts in interior design, with a particular focus on the hospitality industry. This year marks their tenth in business, and to celebrate this major milestone and their new offices in Newcastle, they wanted to do something for the community.
Work begins tomorrow, and over the next 48 hours, JMDA and their contractors will be working their magic on the main drop-in space, private meeting room and training room.
Jonathon Morgan, owner of JMDA, said: “It was very important that we worked with a charity that would benefit from our services and directly benefit others in the community. As designers we are passionate about creating spaces that positively affect people’s emotions and well-being. We hope all our efforts alongside the longstanding work of Oasis Community Housing uplifts emotions and brings a positive outlook to those who need it most.”
Oasis Community Housing chief executive, David Smith, said: “We are all excited to witness the transformation, and are thrilled that JMDA are bringing their skills on board to bring Progress House to life. It’s a great example of local business giving back.”
In April, 1,275 individuals accessed one of Oasis Community Housing’s crisis services. Our resource centres, in Gateshead and Sunderland, offer people who are homeless or in housing crisis, the chance to get warm, seek advice, speak to our teams, shower and do laundry.
As the years have gone by, the help on offer has deepened to provide pathways into housing, support into employment and a multitude of services that tackle systemic injustice, such as benefit sanctions and illegal evictions.
To find out more, go to www.oasiscommunityhousng.org and www.jmdaltd.co.uk