I’m backing Action on Empty Homes, a great initiative run by the charity Action Homeless. It brings abandoned properties back into use to create affordable homes for people currently in hostel accommodation.It also generates training and employment opportunities, especially for people who have found it tough to secure work.

32 people have now been housed under this scheme and Leicester City Council have also stepped in to provide community support grants to help new residents buy furniture and other things they need to move in. I recently visited one of these properties on Harrow Road in the West End and met with the new tenant, Hanif Abdul Rahim.

You can read the Leicester Mercury coverage of my visit here and if you’d like to find out more about this fantastic project, you can contact Eilidh Kennedy from Action Homeless on 0116 221 1851 or by email at eilidhkennedy {at} actionhomeless.org(.)uk