Love Your Space

We are really proud of our crew of volunteers at Rentstart, who add so much value to all we do. One of these brilliant people is Denise, who has started a social enterprise called ‘Love Your Space’. Denise has shared her thoughts on this exciting project here.

‘I joined Rentstart as a volunteer in September 2020, and have worked with many lovely clients from a variety of backgrounds; I have learnt so much about their lives, including why and how they found themselves sleeping rough or sofa surfing. Every person and every story are unique, and each one reminds us that even in a relatively affluent county like Surrey, homelessness is a constant and growing threat to so many people’s lives.

Rentstart has been helping hundreds of people in Elmbridge for over 20 years, and in the last 12 months they have helped to house around 130 people. I remember coming along when it was time to hand over the key to one man who was rough sleeping, and it was clear to see on his face how much this space meant to him. It was a very small rundown room, but it was his. He had a roof over his head, a bed, and he could lock his own door at night. Still, there was a temporary feel to the room; it didn’t look or feel like a place where he could start to rebuild his life – to fix broken relationships, to feel inspired to look for work or to feel at home. This is when I realised that I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.

Love Your Space works together with the client to create an inviting and homely feel to their new place.  Acquiring rugs and blinds isn’t affordable for many and understandably is not a priority. Nevertheless, having somewhere that looks and feels like home can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. It can indeed be the very start of your new life.

All the furniture and soft furnishings used are donated by the local community, and I post requests on various ‘for free’/’freecycle’ Facebook groups to source what’s needed. So far, people have been very generous and have been able to help with everything from wall art to tables and throws. Our lovely community wants to get involved and help, which is so good to see. 

The BIG challenge at the moment is finding transportation (‘a man & van’) as sadly my car can’t fit larger pieces of furniture. The other challenge is finding someone who is happy to give up some of their time to help put up things like shelves or blinds. As this is a new organisation, I can only take on one client at the time but there is clear need out there. If any local organisations or businesses would consider giving up an hour or two of their time every few weeks or months – whatever and whenever it suits them - so much more work could be done and so many more people would benefit from that first step towards improved wellbeing and having a place to call home.

If you would like to get involved with Love Your Space, please do contact us here at Rentstart or visit the Instagram page - #loveyourspace