René House CIC was set up by its two dedicated founders at the end of 2018 to provide supported accommodation for vulnerable adults in the Nottinghamshire area. It is intended to give people a safe and solid base from which to rebuild their lives to the point that they can then move onto long term accommodation and a sustainable lifestyle.
In the words of René House, “Everyone deserves a second chance. Our residents come to us looking for a ‘renaissance’ in their lives. At René House, we listen to their needs in order to understand their limitations and discuss potential solutions”. Its current beneficiaries are men with nowhere to live or at risk of nowhere to live; they all have multiple complex needs varying from ex-offender status records, to drug addiction, to mental health issues.
The organisation’s founders, with the assistance of a number of recently recruited support workers, personally offer a wide range of activities to its beneficiaries including developing domestic and life skills, helping with managing finances and assisting in accessing health, social care and other services in the sector. The beneficiaries have had their social networks diminished and René House look to try and replace them with good habits through accessing community organisations such as sports teams, providing the opportunity to develop social skills and establish social contacts.
René House sought help from LawWorks early in its formation, when it was looking for assistance with the drawing up of employment contracts. After this legal work had been completed, René House applied for the Honorary Counsel Service, excited by “the opportunity for long-term legal support for free”.
The LawWorks Honorary Counsel Service matches small not-for-profit organisations with a team of volunteer solicitors (the “Honorary Counsel”), who will work together on a long-term basis to proactively identify and prevent legal issues. The Honorary Counsel can carry out a basic ‘health check’ of the organisation’s main documents to identify obvious gaps or general issues to be aware of; and are an initial point of contact for other legal advice.
Through LawWorks, René House instructed global law firm DLA Piper on a pro-bono basis to act as its honorary counsel. To date, DLA Piper’s advice has included drafting and reviewing property leases and licences, corporate governance policies, employment documents and other day to day legal queries. René House has been impressed with how the volunteers at DLA Piper took an interest in what René House is trying to achieve and how the volunteers adapted their legal advice in a pragmatic way to help René House achieve its aims, while DLA Piper states “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity by LawWorks to provide support to organisations such as René House CIC. It has been a pleasure to advise the team at René House CIC and to support them in achieving their aim to deliver quality Supported Accommodation properties which provide a platform for positive change.”
With its legal affairs in order and the reassurance that it has support if needed, this relatively new organisation can concentrate on growing and achieving its aims in supporting the community. René House is looking to expand the amount of supported accommodation it offers and for its help to extend to families and women and children.