Company update, Family Fund Business Services
Please note: if you are a member of the public, we do not award Carpetright vouchers directly, we distribute them on behalf on grant-making organisations such as Local Authorities, Housing Associations and Charities.
FFBS is pleased to announce we are now partnering with Carpetright to fulfil flooring grants, in the form of Carpetright eGift vouchers.
With many of our clients telling us how vital flooring solutions are for their beneficiaries, we’ll now be providing this alongside white goods, household items, furniture, vouchers for food and energy and cash payments, in one ordering process and a single invoice for clients, saving them time and money.
Carpetright is one of the UK’s leading flooring retailers, with over 300 stores and concessions across the country, making it easy for beneficiaries to access nationwide.
Why is flooring so important?
End Furniture Poverty reports that 1.2 million people in the UK are living without flooring in their bedrooms and living areas, with the vast majority living in social housing. Flooring can be hard to get for those on a low income, as few organisations are able to grant it. Currently, much social housing is let without flooring, in a bid to prevent infestations and give new tenants a fresh new home. But, if tenants are on a low income, they might not be able to afford to buy new flooring and will be forced to live without it.
Current regulation means that landlords are not required to provide flooring outside of kitchens and bathrooms and a recent survey suggests 1.2 million people in the UK have no carpet or flooring in their bedrooms and living areas. This new scheme has been designed to enable social landlords to provide flooring across their portfolios nationwide in the hope of easing this ongoing problem.
Living without flooring decreases the energy efficiency of homes. In fact, according to the National Housing Federation, properties without flooring can lose 15% of their heat. This leaves people with a difficult choice to make between having freezing cold homes or unaffordable energy bills.
NICE also warns that living in a cold home can have a significant impact on mental and physical wellbeing, increasing the likelihood of viral infections, breathing problems, depression, heart attacks and strokes.
Granting carpet now will make colder months much more comfortable for beneficiaries. With steep energy prices currently, granting low income families flooring, and to keep their homes warm, could be life changing.
Phil Henderson, Director of Family Fund Business Services, said:
“It became clear from speaking to our clients that they really want to be able to supply flooring but many of them were struggling to offer it themselves. The logistics of sending someone to measure a property; select appropriate, affordable options and have them supplied and fitted is either too expensive or too much administrative work for many social housing providers.
We are proud to offer an easy and cost-effective solution that works for Local Authorities and Housing Associations nationwide.”
How can my organisation order flooring vouchers?
FFBS clients can order Carpetright eGift vouchers, with a value of between £10 and £3000, through our Portal. After entering the email address of the beneficiary, FFBS will send the voucher directly to them. These vouchers can then be redeemed in-store, or through Carpetright’s home consultants, and are valid for 90 days.
To check out more essential goods and services we provide and how the process works, have a look on our services page. You can also chat to someone from our business development team on businessdevelopment@familyfundservices.co.uk.
