Community Housing Project - Gateshead Council

Gateshead Council’s Housing service collect pre-loved items that can be used to help make a house into a home for individuals and families in need. 

The donated items can include

• Toiletries
• Bedding
• Curtains
• Decorative items
• Kitchen utensils
• Small appliances
• Other household items 

The items are then stored in a central base in Pelaw and accessed by officers to hand out to individuals and families. These donated items ensure that supported residents are kept warm and comfortable in their own home environment. 

The theme and purpose to this whole project is to enable residents to independently make a house their own home. This project is not part of a council service.  This is a project that has been created and developed by officers. 

Currently donations are provided by a specific group of Council Employees, local churches and the Salvation Army in Gateshead. 

The project would like to expand the appeal for donations and from additional resources, so there is likely to be an increase in donated items. 

Officers attend the store when they are working with individuals or families who could benefit from the donations.   To compliment the donations there are also essential toiletries and personal hygiene products along items to help keep people warm. 

There are 3 separate volunteer roles involved in this project:

• Driving volunteers 
• Sorting volunteers
• Stall volunteers

Driving volunteer 

This part of the project will involve any driving volunteers who are able to help transfer items from stalls and donation appeals to the store in Pelaw. 

Volunteers will be required to use their own vehicles for the purpose of transporting items to the Pelaw based storage unit. 

All driving volunteers MUST inform their own car insurance policy providers that they are volunteering and what they will be doing. If required confirmation of this volunteering can be provided. 

All stages that need to be complete, such as notifying insurance, will be made clear to the individuals within their confirmation letters, risk assessment and induction. 

Driving volunteer 

This part of the project will involve any driving volunteers who are able to help transfer items from stalls and donation appeals to the store in Pelaw. 

Volunteers will be required to use their own vehicles for the purpose of transporting items to the Pelaw based storage unit. 

All driving volunteers MUST inform their own car insurance policy providers that they are volunteering and what they will be doing. If required confirmation of this volunteering can be provided. 

All stages that need to be complete, such as notifying insurance, will be made clear to the individuals within their confirmation letters, risk assessment and induction. 

Sorting donations

This volunteer role will involve sorting through all the donations that have been collected into categories. 

This will make the items more accessible and clearly identified into groups. 

There will be set areas of the donations storage unit and items placed within them safely and securely.  There will also be an informal inventory of the items so it can be updated around what is available. 

By completing this it means that anything that the project needs then can include in requests and call outs for set items.  For example if there are only a few set of lamps remaining, the next appeal can specifically request lamps. 

Council officers will then call into the store when needed and collect items from the donations.  They will all be complete by the council officers on site. 

Helping at stalls

This is the third element of the project and will involve volunteers attending the civic centre reception and other community settings, to help with a collection point.

Housing services will be holding events throughout the year and calling for help and donations from members of the public. 

This part of the role would involve volunteers attending the events with the officers and help sort through the donated items as well as providing more information about the project. 

The officers will be present at the events too but volunteers will be utilised to help provide additional support