Our Board, led by an Executive Chair, has extensive relevant experience and all trustees are closely involved in the day to day running of the charity. This reduces overhead costs and increases expenditure on grants.
We are careful to comply with all charity legislation but we see our principal accountability is to the aims and objectives of the Foundation. The investment of a 30 year old endowment finances the great majority of our activities. We work closely with other organisations but do not routinely pursue external funding. We firmly believe in the value of learning how organisations in other countries work to end homelessness and in supporting their efforts. A large number of individuals have benefited from our professional development courses as well as our grants programme and research publications, but our funding always goes to organisations not directly to individuals.
We amplify our impact by working with and through other organisations; starting conversations and building networks; and embracing risk. LHF supports new ideas and promotes what works.
We do this by:
- Supporting research into homelessness and services for people who are homeless
- Providing development opportunities for sector managers and leaders
- Creating connections across the homelessness sector
- Funding innovative projects tackling homelessness
- Providing grants for and learning from international initiatives
- Sharing learning from funded projects with relevant organisations
- Providing consultancy and core funding for homelessness organisations
- Running the London Homelessness Awards to promote innovative approaches
- Sector expertise is improved
- Practice and policy in the sector are increasingly evidence based
- Innovative ideas are tested and funded
- Partnership work and collaboration is increased across the sector
- The profile and recognition of the sector are strengthened
- LHF and partners are influential in policy development
- Homelessness in London is sustainably reduced
- The sector delivers new and improved solutions to homelessness