The Wiltshire charity changing the game for people in social housing
Kennet Furniture Refurbiz are getting carpets to those who can't afford them
A Wiltshire Furniture charity's helping provide a cost-effective carpet solution for people living in social housing and are unable to afford flooring.
Kennt Furniture Refurbiz (KFR), Wiltshire Council and The Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) are working in partnership to get appropriate flooring for their homes.
It's standard practice for social housing properties to come unfurnished and without flooring. While many have furniture and can afford new flooring, it's not the case for everyone.
Low income families, people fleeing domestic abuse and people moving into a new home after being homeless are just some of those who might find themselves in that situation.
A portion of the Household Support Fund from the Department for Work and Pensions has been allocated to KFR by the council to fund a project that finds repurposed carpet tiles through SATCoL's Flooring Reuse Programme.
'Obvious' benefits to having carpets
KFR manager Daniel Thompson says there's a lot of benefits to having carpet, that many might take for granted.
"From a insulation point of view and keeps your house much warmer," he said
"From a noise pollution point of view if you think of person living underneath somebody who has no carpets in their floor, the soundproofing alone is beneficial.
"Obviously, if you've got kids as well, how are your kids going to play with their toys on the floor if the floor consists of a big concrete slab?"
Helping people and the environment
Daniel told Greatest Hits Radio that many of the carpet tiles have been stripped out of commercial properties that are no longer in use.
"I think these carpet tiles and questions, the one we have at the moment came from Manchester. And I think they were put into an office block.
"The office block during COVID hasn't been used, so it's been stripped down and these are pretty much brand new carpet tiles that need a home," he said.
The reuse of the carpet also has benefits for the environment, as Daniel explained.
"If we didn't save them, they'd probably be shredded and turned into something else or maybe even go to landfill.
"So from an environmental point of view, it's fantastic because obviously you've got something that is a waste matter, which has now gone through our systems to become a useful item in somebody's home."
Customers are grateful for the work being done.
Daniel told us about one client, who's unable to work due to ill health, using the scheme as a short-term solution to protect their children's feet.
Daniel said: "People need help at the moment, people need to save as much money as possible. The cost of living crisis is still with us, unfortunately, and it's still biting quite deep."