Exploring a franchise with Hope into Action Hope into Action enables churches to house people affected by homelessness. We began in Peterborough in 2010 and then moved into Cambridge, Norwich and Nottingham. We have now helped hundreds or homeless men and women out of poverty and won various awards for the quality of our approach along the way. Since those first four towns, every other home we’ve opened has been through a franchised approach. Sometimes this has been a new charity, specifically set up to replicate our model; sometimes it has been a Church or an existing Christian charity which has taken on our project to complement their other work. We now have ‘Franchise Friends’ in more than thirty towns and cities across the country. Regardless of who sets up a franchise, all franchises partner with churches in their area to support tenants in Hope into Action homes. You can see where we currently have franchises here At Hope into Action, we are so blessed to enable the church to welcome tenants of any label (or none). We see God stir authentic faith into action, every day all over the country. If your faith is stirred to holistically love those who have experienced homelessness, and you think your church would like to take action, please talk to us. Our Franchise Model How does it work? We give the legal rights for a franchise to operate and replicate our model with any church in a given area. We stipulate this ‘territory’ on a map in the franchise agreement. The hallmark of our franchises • They have their own registered Charity or CIO with a Trustee Board set up, or are a church with an equivalent governance structure, who are willing to work in partnership with other churches in the area • Franchise agreement signed with HIA:UK with an agreed area to operate in • The Franchise provides the Empowerment Worker and sources the local churches to partner with. • The partner churches sign a Memorandum of Understanding or Service Level Agreement with the franchise and provide a ‘Friendship & Support group’ of volunteers • The Franchise collects rent, manages its own finances, staff, volunteers and fundraising • The Franchise can grow as much as it wants to within the geographical boundary outlined in the franchise agreement • Interested churches within the area are linked with the Franchise. Fees Whilst we want to minimise the barriers to enabling churches to house the homeless, we charge an initial setup fee and a monthly fee which contributes towards the cost of franchise setup, IT, induction, initial and ongoing training and support, individualised branding, and management of franchises. Franchise fees only cover a part of our direct costs for enabling you to house the homeless. We fundraise separately to fill the gap. Information about our fees will be provided to interested parties during the application process. What you receive as a Franchise Friend Increasingly we find that being able to say you are running an award winning model gives confidence to local government, agencies and donors. No matter which franchise model you choose, there are certain things that all of our franchise friends receive from us. This includes: Our online manual and access to our SharePoint site and bespoke 'EMPOWER' software for managing houses, tenants and much more An Advisor assigned to support you Bespoke training and expertise: We provide in-person and online induction for all franchises where training is given on property management, tenant support and empowerment, fundraising and governance to name a few areas. A calendar of training events from safeguarding to support to housing Location health checks to ensure consistent quality of accommodation and support of tenants Use of our branding Advice on managing investors and finding investment Invitations to our annual retreat and other events Roles within the Hope into Action model The Empowerment Worker One of the most important roles in the Hope into Action model is that of the Empowerment Worker. Where other agencies seek to ‘support’ their clients or service users, Hope into Action (HIA) prefer to ‘empower’ tenants. This subtle change of word gives the job role a different slant to a more traditional ‘support worker’ role and embodies our values as an organisation. We see a major difference between enabling and empowering and we strive to bring the latter. Our goal is that, at the end of a tenant's term with us (two years’), they are able and willing to live independently and without support. Empowerment Workers are responsible for 'empowering' the tenant, guiding the church in their relationships and leading on house support. Although the Empowerment Workers role can be paid or unpaid, it's important that they are NOT the church leader. The Friendship and Support Group (F&S) The friendship and support group consists of volunteers from partner churches within the defined geography of the franchise. They are also called befrienders as they provide emotional and practical day to day support to the tenant. But F&S groups also need people with admin, DIY and communication skills, and people who pray! This is a fully voluntary role. Being a friendship and support (F&S) volunteer with Hope into Action can be a rewarding experience. Some recent comments from our F&S volunteers include: Want to know more? If you would like more information about franchising with Hope into Action, please contact our franchise team using this form. Please see the Events page for details of our next information evening for potential franchises. Manage Cookie Preferences