Bedfordshire Housing Link becomes Amicus Trust

They say life begins at 40, and for us, that seems to be the case! In 2014 we celebrate 40 years of supporting single homeless people and have undergone an exciting new re-brand, changing from Bedfordshire Housing Link to Amicus Trust, and with thanks to the Royal British Legion, we are getting ready to launch a new project supporting homeless veterans in the heart of Bedford.

“Changing our name was such a big decision, but the organisation has grown so much since we started as a soup kitchen in 1974 and our 40th year felt like the right time to choose a name that better describes what we do now.” Janet Prince, CEO of Amicus Trust explained “Amicus is about friendship and support, which we think really captures what we are about” Janet continued “ it is critical for people in crisis to know about our services, especially with the cold winter month. We are here to help. “

In addition to our supported accommodation we also run a mobile night shelter for rough sleepers, and our Stepping Stones project which supports vulnerable adults when it comes to getting people back into work or education and a life skills project has gone from strength to strength. We plan to extend our support into new geographic areas and expand our supported accommodation of homeless veterans.
With more and more pressure on local authorities to make cuts, many vulnerable people have to rely on the support of charities like ours.

“We plan be around for at least another 40 years, but with funding cuts and reduction in local services, we have to rely on funding from organisations such as the lottery and the British Legion – their support is invaluable. “ Janet Prince explained “ the ultimate reason for the re-brand is to ensure we can continue to generate interest and support in our organisation and get our name known! “