Norfolk County Council commissioned Community Catalysts are delighted work in partnership with House Angels Decluttering Specialist.
House Angels provide hands on, highly practical support for Norfolk people who are struggling with clutter or disorganisation around their homes. Many of their clients have had falls due to clutter becoming a trip hazard or other issues relating to their physical or mental health.
House Angels can make living conditions safer, improve the quality of people’s lives, enable a cleaning team to go in, prevent a person from being evicted from their home or clear space for maintenance work to be carried out. They aim to look beyond the clutter to the person behind to find out more about them and understand the changes that are needed.
The idea for House Angels was formed out of experiences within their own family. Initially intended as a service to help people who were living in cluttered and disorganised conditions, as their father had been before he was admitted to hospital. As the idea evolved, they also thought about how their grandmother’s house had needed reorganisation and adaptions before she could return from hospital because her mobility had deteriorated. They had support around them to help make the changes that were needed but knew not everyone was so lucky.
They enrolled on a business start-up course and gradually House Angels was born; finally launching in 2019. There were mistakes along the way and it’s been hard work, especially during the pandemic when they couldn’t see a way through. But, as is often said, they learned as much from mistakes as success! The pandemic has definitely taught them to be flexible, have confidence in what they do and not to give up.
A real positive for them has been joining the Community Catalysts project in Norfolk. It opened up many doors, put them in touch with social care and other small enterprises in the area and helped them to focus on where they want the business to go and adapt the services that they offer today.
It’s been a long journey but they now feel they have a business that they can be really proud of and they’re getting lovely feedback from their clients and their families. One client’s reaction really summed this up. They had completed a 3 hour declutter and clean-up of his kitchen and bathroom. When he came to inspect their handiwork, he welled up and said “You have made me feel human again”. Another client, that they had worked with over many weeks, decluttering and clearing his late mother’s possessions commented “Every visit brings light into the house, lifting my spirits too!” Decluttering may seem to some like a luxury service but for House Angels client’s it can be life changing. They give their clients back a tidy house but also a home they can enjoy living in again.
https://www.facebook.com/House-Angels-Decluttering-Specialist-586974898463500
For more information about the Community Catalysts project in Norwich please contact Debra Morris
☎ 07384 835722 💻debra.morris@communitycatalysts.co.uk
