Cardo’s Social Value Manager, Nadia, has successfully established and facilitated an inspiring collaboration between Dacorum Borough Council’s Empty Homes Team and Dacorum Community Trust to support local families in crisis.
Dacorum Community Trust (DCT), a local crisis charity, was established in 1976 to provide support for people experiencing hardship in the Dacorum area. Today, the Trust provides practical help to local people when they have nowhere else to turn.
The collaboration involves DBC’s Empty Homes Team notifying Cardo’s Social Value Manager, Nadia, of items that are in good enough condition to be re-used and re-homed. Nadia liaises with DCT to arrange collection, after which the items are passed on to families in need. All white goods collected are PAT tested by Cardo.
The first month of the initiative saw four large white goods and two rugs collected from empty homes, with two items delivered straight to families in need, and the remaining two items kept in storage. A fridge-freezer went to a young low-income couple with a 14-month-old baby, while a washing machine was delivered to a single mother with four children who had been previously washing clothes in the bathtub.
Dena Tyler MBE, Trust Manager of Dacorum Community Trust, expressed her gratitude for the project’s success and thanked the collaborative efforts of Cardo, as well as the volunteers who collect and deliver items to the families in need.
Thank you very much for everything you are doing to make this project work – it is terrific. The families are absolutely delighted with their appliances.
This collaboration is an excellent example of how organisations can work together to support their local community. Cardo is committed to making a positive impact by supporting initiatives that help improve the wellbeing of residents.