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Ed set up Hope into Action in 2010
Exeter alumnus awarded MBE for services to homelessness
Ed Walker, Exeter alumnus and founder of a homelessness charity in Peterborough, has been appointed MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
Ed set up Hope into Action in 2010 when he and his wife used their savings to buy a property to help house homeless people in need. The charity now has accommodation more than 30 different towns across the country and houses 315 people.
Hope into Action helps a wide range of people without a home, including people in recovery from addiction, people sleeping rough, women and children fleeing domestic violence, people coming out of rehab, former sex workers, refugees, those suffering mental health issues and survivors of human trafficking.
The charity specialises in purchasing properties and partnering with churches to offer supported housing to people experiencing homelessness nationwide.
Ed says: “It’s a great honour to receive this award. I do also feel slightly awkward about it because I work with all these great people who do incredible work but I’m the one who’s been recognised. Mostly I’m thinking about how I can use this attention to help more people.”
Ed and his wife Rachel poured their lifesavings as well as their hearts and souls into getting Hope into Action off the ground 12 years ago.
Ed says: “It was really hard at the start. I was working full time and trying to set-up the charity in my spare time. Plus we had two children and my wife was pregnant with our third at the time so we were both incredibly busy. And when you’re setting up you have to do everything, you are accounts, marketing, operations, the lot. I learned that people running small businesses often need more energy than those running large ones, because they have so many places to be and so many different hats to wear.”
Since launching in Peterborough, Hope into Action has expanded operations with partnerships in towns and cities across the UK including the Isle of Wight, Wolverhampton, Dover and Bristol.
Ed says: “Churches have been overwhelmingly positive about the programme, but capacity can be a challenge. All their activity is reliant on volunteers and if these volunteers are already committed to other projects it can be hard to find the time. However we make it as easy as possible by sourcing housing and looking after any referrals, tenancies and other professional support so we have seen a lot of growth in the past decade.”
Ed’s desire to help those facing homelessness was actually inspired by his time at Exeter while studying for his degree in Geography.
He says: “When I was at Exeter myself and a friend cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise money for St Petrocks, the homeless charity in the city. When I got back I decided to volunteer one day per week at the charity and I would listen to people’s stories and hear some of the terrible and traumatic situations they found themselves in. It really inspired me to do something to help and make a difference.
"When I left Exeter after graduating in 1998, I spent 10 years in Africa working in war zones like Sudan and then on my return ran hostels for the homeless before taking it a step further with Hope into Action. I’m really proud of the difference we have made and look forward to continuing to help people into the future.”
Date: 29 June 2022