About FriendsFirst - Our Housing Service

Based in Brighton & Hove, Friends First support disadvantaged, long-term unemployed, and homeless adults to access work experience, employment opportunities, mentor support, and safe supported housing.

Established as a charity in 2002, but with over 25 years experience helping people in need, Friends First aims to contribute toward:

  • reducing long-term unemployment

  • reducing homelessness

  • reducing social isolation

  • increasing the provision of safe supported housing

Friends First provide two opportunities to meet these aims: our Pathways to Employment and Pathways to Housing initiatives.

Friends First ‘Pathways’ offer a unique opportunity to those in need of ‘hand up’ who are motivated and willing to work hard in order to achieve lasting change in their lives.

Housing

Brighton & Hove is a vibrant, diverse, creative, and attractive city in which to live. However, 30% of working age adults in Brighton & Hove are economically inactive, house prices are on average 10.9 times the average wage in the city, and property rental rates are among the most expensive in the country.

Brighton & Hove continues to face an increasing homelessness problem, one of the worst in the UK outside of London, this in part due to the very real challenges of simply living in the city. The economic downturn, worklessness and soaring demand for limited affordable housing, has created more and more need for housing solutions that look ‘outside of the box’ to give people, during a time when they find themselves most in need, a sense of safety and security.

Friends First has over a decade of experience in housing local vulnerable adults and homeless people, understanding that safe accommodation is a pivotal factor in helping people to rebuild their lives. No longer a housing provider itself, Friends First uses its experience to engage and partner with socially minded property owners and investors who are willing to support local disadvantaged people to access safe and affordable housing.

Friends First does this by supporting the property owners themselves, taking on the more intensive housing management of their properties and linking them with tenants, whilst training local people willing to voluntarily mentor and befriend those resident within the properties. The people Friends First work with, who are in need of accommodation, must be willing and motivated to work toward paid employment and be actively engaged in volunteering, training, or education throughout their stay.

The combination of our experience and work-readiness training, property investment partnerships, and volunteer mentoring, enables Friends First to contribute toward the increase of safe and affordable housing in the city, link people with need to support whilst helping them to achieve paid employment and hope for their futures.

Partnering

Friends First offers local businesses, employers, and individuals the opportunity to answer the question “Can I do good business, and do good?”

Every week Friends First are meeting with local business people who believe their work can be of great benefit to the local community, but perhaps have not found the right avenue to see that vision realised. A partnership with Friends First facilitates the link between the business or individual and multiple socially beneficial opportunities. Friends First partnerships provide a win/win solution: the business or organisation benefit whilst benefitting the individual and our local community.

Join with us to:

  • reduce long-term unemployment

  • reduce homelessness

  • reduce social isolation

  • increase the provision of safe supported housing

If you or your organisation has it in mind to not simply offer employment but to offer someone a “hand up” and a fresh start then we would be excited to talk more with you about the opportunities you have or may have in the future. Friends First do not make any charge to align appropriately skilled and reliable trainees with a potential employment opportunity. Get in touch with us via care@wearemmanuel.com.

Housing Investment

Are you a landlord, property developer or multiple property owner? Are you a private individual looking to make an investment into property? Would you be willing to consider how your asset or investment could be used to support local people who are in a need of support and housing whilst they work toward paid employment?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above then we would love to hear from you to discuss how we might partner to benefit our local community. Friends First have over a decade of experience in the housing sector and are passionate about securing safe and affordable housing for local people in need of a “hand up”.

Friends First work principally with the local church to recruit, screen, and train volunteer mentors to befriend those in Friends First partner housing. Friends First absorb the more intensive housing management on behalf of the property owner whilst engaging residents within their Pathway to Employment initiative to help equip them for paid employment and a transition into more independent accommodation.