For most of us, a mortgage means so much more than just a roof over our heads. It’s a way of getting somewhere to call our own. A safe haven. A home. But for the 150,000 young people who asked for help with homelessness last year, that isn’t anything but a distant dream. So when our customers asked us to do something about it, we did.
Here at Platform we’re an intermediary-led mortgage lender with 20 years’ experience in the intermediary mortgage market. Since 2009, we’ve also been part of The Co-operative Bank. As well as helping their customers to find mortgages that are right for them, we’re proud to share a distinct set of values, and go about our business with a shared sense of ethics too.
Working together to make a difference
This year The Co-operative Bank marks the 25th anniversary of their customer-led Ethical Policy, a unique policy that gives their customers – and ours – a genuine say in how their bank is run. Who we provide banking services to; How customer money is used; What kind of things we campaign for.
By listening to what their customers have to say, they’ve achieved some incredible things over the last 25 years. Both at home and abroad. Since joining up with the Bank in 2009, we’ve been proud to be part of a business with such principles, and with ethics and values at its heart.
The Co-operative Bank has a history of campaigning with their colleagues and customers and in June 2016 began to consider the next good cause they should be lending their support to. Through 1130 online interviews The Co-operative Bank was guided towards supporting the housing charity, Centrepoint.
And so, together with the Bank, we’ve partnered with Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity, to help tackle the growing issue of youth homelessness throughout the UK.
Who are Centrepoint?
With the help of partnerships like ours, Centrepoint provides housing and support for homeless young people in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East. They aim to give homeless young people a future and, ultimately, put an end to this escalating problem.
Every year the charity helps more than 9,200 homeless 16-25 year olds with a safe place to live, health support and access to education and training. But it’s more than just a place to stay.
Centrepoint helps people into a home and a job and equips them with the independent living skills needed to escape homelessness for good.
Every Platform mortgage helps a young homeless person have a future
For every new mortgage completed, we’re donating £25 on our customers’ behalf. Each £25 goes towards funding the Centrepoint’s National Helpline, where people can get in touch for advice or guidance for themselves or someone they know.
We’re also donating to Centrepoint’s new Manchester hub, which recently opened its doors to Central and Greater Manchester’s young homeless community.
So far our customers have already helped to raise almost £100,000 through our mortgage partnership. That number will continue to grow. And that’s something we can all be proud of.
To find out more about the work we’re doing, visit: platform.co.uk/intermediaries/about_us/our_centrepoint_partnership.aspx
