'Amazing' charity Moving On Project Portsmouth reopens with improved headquarters

AN 'AMAZING' scheme that provides disadvantaged people in Portsmouth with the essentials for setting up a new home has reopened - and is bigger than ever.

Moving On Project Portsmouth (MOPP) relaunched this week following the installation of new secure gates and panelling around its base in the Grafton Street underground car park, in Buckland.

The Moving On Project Portsmouth is a charity that helps city service providers support families or individuals in financial hardship as they try and find their first home, or seek to replace household goods in their current one. On Tuesday, October 13 they held a reopening event in Grafton Street, Portsmouth.

Pictured is: (l-r) Brenda Towle, treasurer and trustee, Sarah Knight, chairman, founder and trustee and Jan Bone, secretary and trustee of The Moving On Project Portsmouth.

Picture: Sarah Standing (131020-5599) — The Moving On Project Portsmouth is a charity that helps city service providers support families or individuals in financial hardship as they try and find their first home, or seek to replace household goods in their current one. On Tuesday, October 13 they held a reopening event in Grafton Street, Portsmouth. Pictured is: (l-r) Brenda Towle, treasurer and trustee, Sarah Knight, chairman, founder and trustee and Jan Bone, secretary and trustee of The Moving On Project Portsmouth. Picture: Sarah Standing (131020-5599)

placeholder image — The Moving On Project Portsmouth is a charity that helps city service providers support families or individuals in financial hardship as they try and find their first home, or seek to replace household goods in their current one. On Tuesday, October 13 they held a reopening event in Grafton Street, Portsmouth. Pictured is: (l-r) Brenda Towle, treasurer and trustee, Sarah Knight, chairman, founder and trustee and Jan Bone, secretary and trustee of The Moving On Project Portsmouth. Picture: Sarah Standing (131020-5599)

The charity provides donated furniture, domestic appliances and food to help people such as rough sleepers, domestic abuse survivors and offenders on probation, get started in a new home.

Charity helps 160 families move in to new homes

Now funds totalling £5,000 from the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Partnership and £2,000 from Southern Housing have allowed the cause to expand and keep its donated goods safe - along with some improvements made on the site by Portsmouth City Council.

Paints and brushes from Travis Perkins and Johnstone's Decorating Centre were also donated to allow them to upcycle furniture.

Sarah Knight, who founded the project in 2017, said: 'It's made such a huge difference having the gates and the panelling there. It now feels properly like our own space and it keeps the furniture much more secure.

'We want to keep expanding though. We're so grateful to all the people who donated money and tools to make sure we can keep helping people.

'It's such an amazing feeling to know you are providing this service for people.'

In the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown the project kept running to work with the council to assist rough sleepers. It is thought the team helped about 70 tenants during this time.

Portsmouth City Council's deputy leader, Councillor Steve Pitt, described the service as 'invaluable.' He said: 'They have become such an integral part of the community, literally helping people move on with their lives by getting them those essentials. It's been invaluable over the last few years, they've done such an amazing job.

'In the early days of lockdown they were one of the services we asked to start back up again to help the homeless. They didn't hesitate. They were able to provide essential items for people to help them move into new accommodation.'

It is thought Moving On Portsmouth has helped more than 700 households since 2017.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.