Swindon charity for the homeless goes to a new home (From This Is Wiltshire)

A SWINDON charity has been busy packing up its office ready for a move – but it is only to the other side of the town centre.

Today, Threshold Housing Link’s lease at their premises in Queen Street comes to an end and they are setting up their new base on the second floor of 1 John Street.

Every year the charity helps more than 750 homeless people.

The 30 staff operate homes and hostels for both men and women, as well as a Street Outreach service, and resettlement projects for homeless teenagers and adults.

Its new home will be alongside Voluntary Action Swindon.

“Moving is always disruptive, but our team is well prepared and it should be business as normal within two days,” said Threshold’s chief executive Cher Sawyer-Smith.

“Having Voluntary Action under the same roof will be a big plus for us.

“Working in partnership by sharing premises and back-room operations makes a lot of sense.”

Threshold’s telephone number will remain the same throughout the move, however callers may find some disruption to the email system while the IT system is transferred.

“We’d like to apologise in advance if anyone has difficulty getting hold of us,” said Mrs Sawyer-Smith.

“We hope to be settled within a few days, and our day-to-day work with the homeless should be unaffected,”

Last year, Threshold celebrated its 40th anniversary.

In December, 40 people took part in the charity’s main fundraiser of the year, a sleepout, in the car park of the Immanuel United Reform Church in Upham Road.

The event, which aimed to raise £10,000, raised funds for new projects earmarked by Threshold for the next financial year, including a partnership with Crisis to provide secure rented accommodation for six-month periods.

Another of the charity’s biggest fundraising events of the year is the annual Soup Run, which sees people from across the town don their running shoes and divert their normal training run to finish at Culvery Court, the town’s emergency hostel, with a tin or packet of food to donate to the homeless charity.

For more information on the charity and its work with homeless people call 01793 524661 or log on to www.thl.org.uk