New hub ready to help empower people and raise funds
A housing and empowerment service for people facing homelessness has opened its first new retail space in the Black Country
Lotus Sanctuary provides transitional supported housing and has helped over 1,000 vulnerable people since its inception.
Working on a donation basis, the Lotus Living Hub, which will be centrally located on Daisy Street in Bilston, is calling for locals to donate well looked after, pre-loved items which can be resold in-store.
The new retails store was officially opened by the Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Greg Brackenridge in a ceremony on Friday, March 4.
The team will also be working with retail partners, such as interiors store, LOFT, that will donate items to be sold.
It will also act as a local drop-in hub for those in need of Lotus Sanctuary’s services, serving as a safe space for them to get the support and information they require.
Gurpaal Singh-Judge, founder and CEO of Lotus Sanctuary, said: “What started out as a regular flat viewing with the intention of expanding our housing capacity, has grown into something much bigger for Lotus Sanctuary.
"It is an exciting next step for the business and will enable us to help even more people in need in our local communities.
"The opportunity to volunteer in Lotus Living stores will help to rehabilitate residents, offering them the chance to develop skills and empowering them with the confidence needed to rebuild their lives and continue their journey onwards and upwards."
David Underwood, head of Retail at Lotus Living, will be leading on the launch of the new stores and the acquisition of new locations.
He said: "Lotus Living stores are not just going to be any ordinary charity stores.
"They will make a real difference to the lives of current and future Lotus Sanctuary residents and help more vulnerable people out of homelessness.
"We are very excited for the launch of our first site in Bilston and really hope the local community will get behind us and support us however they can.
"Visitors can purchase something new for themselves or donate their pre-loved goods to help a great cause, all of which helps us address the ever-increasing volumes of clothing being sent to landfill – a win-win-win."
To find out where to donate, email donations@lotussanctuary.co.uk.
