The Severn Trent Community Fund has provided a grant of £53,000 to the Canaan Trust for a new community support hub in Long Eaton.

The Canaan Trust has been working with homeless and vulnerable people since 1995, working in deprived communities across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to support anyone in need regardless of age or gender.

The Trust also provides help and advice on issues ranging from debt, benefits and the housing crisis, to concerns around food and fuel.

Located at Aspire House, the Hub will support the expansion of the Trust’s services by providing a family access facility and provision of BACP-registered counselling sessions.

The Hub will also create a dedicate space to provide additional support to women and will be used to run training courses including parenting and the FREEDOM programme for survivors of domestic abuse.

Kevin Curtis from the Canaan Trust, said: “We aim to provide a holistic approach to supporting people living with homelessness, who may be at risk of becoming homeless, or in need of help.

“We can currently accommodate 12 men aged from 16 – 70+ at any given time across our two houses, however in recent years YouGov has revealed that women are 36% more likely than men to be in arrears and struggling with housing costs with one in three struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

“This new Hub will give us the opportunity to ensure that we are able to accommodate people of both genders who are facing these issues. The grant from the Severn Trent Community Fund is absolutely instrumental in helping us to achieve this ambition and ensure we can support as many people as possible.”

Sue Heyes, Severn Trent Community Fund Officer said: “We’re so pleased that our panel selected the Canaan Trust to receive this grant. The work that they do in their communities can be a very literal lifeline for people and this new Hub will allow them to expand their offering significantly.”

To find out more about the Severn Trent Community Fund, visit stwater.co.uk and search for Community Fund.