Accommodation Concern launches Northants Thrive after securing £400,016 National Lottery funding

Accommodation Concern is delighted to announce the launch of Northants Thrive, a new four-year community advice project funded by a £400,016 award from The National Lottery Community Fund.

The project will provide housing, debt, benefits and employability support directly within communities experiencing high levels of financial insecurity across North Northamptonshire. The project will officially launch in early July 2026.

Northants Thrive will focus on neighbourhoods including Hemmingwell estate in Wellingborough, the Avondale and Grange Estates in Kettering and the Kingswood Estate in Corby. Support will be delivered through community venues, outreach sessions and home visits where appropriate, making it easier for residents to access help close to home.

The project has been developed following learning from Accommodation Concern’s previous community outreach work, which showed that people are more likely to seek advice early when support is available in familiar, local spaces. Northants Thrive will build on this by combining specialist advice with community-led engagement and the development of local community champions.

Through the project, residents will be able to access practical support with homelessness prevention, tenancy sustainment, debt, budgeting, benefit checks, claims, appeals and employability support for people preparing to move into work.

The project will initially focus on direct advice and early support. In years 3 and 4, Accommodation Concern will extend this work by identifying and training local community champions. Community champions will be supported by Accommodation Concern advisors so they can continue sharing information, encouraging early access to advice and strengthening local networks once the funded project has ended.

John Perry, Managing Director of Accommodation Concern, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for making this work possible. Northants Thrive will allow us to take advice directly into communities, helping people get support earlier, closer to home and before difficulties become a crisis.”

Erica Knight, Executive Director at Accommodation Concern, added: “This project is about more than advice appointments. It is about building trust, listening to local residents and working with partners so that people feel more connected, more confident and better able to take the next practical step.”

Referrals can be made by contacting Accommodation Concern directly by telephone on 01536 416560 or by emailing [email protected].

Referrals can also be made through the web tools available on our website.

Once a referral has been received, the individual will be triaged to identify the level of priority, the most appropriate route of support and the advisor best placed to assist. This will be completed in line with Accommodation Concern’s usual service level agreement, which is normally within 48 hours.