Reading Community
#Our first ever community - the one that made us want to open more
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Where it all started...
Back in 2020, when Tony started the charity, it was only one house.
“When I came out of rehab in 2018, I approached over 100 landlords and met 100 forms of rejection, before anyone would rent me a property. I set up Hope and Vision Communities so that other people wouldn’t have to go through the same thing at this crucial point. With rejection being a huge trigger for relapse, we wanted to ease the transition for a greater chance of success. Going to rehab is a good foundation, but it's when you come out of rehab the hard work really starts, so having a safe place to live is so important. At Hope and Vision, we first provide a home, but then we help to build a recovery community to encourage and support people on their journey.”
Since opening our first home in Reading, the charity has grown to nine houses and built strong partnerships with treatment providers, landlords, and funders, helping dozens of people rebuild their lives with dignity and stability.
For our residents, the journey ideally starts in our "Landing house", a larger property where key worker support is easily accessible, before moving on to another house where they will live with another resident.
Our Reading community is the most advanced one, the one where we started, the one that allowed us to refine our ways of working and prove that our model is working: recovery is more sustainable when housing is provided with support, community, and no time limit. We are proud to see it thriving and the success at Reading has helped propel our model to new communities - one in Malvern for another men's community, and one in Gloucester for our first women's community.
Our model is changing the way communities can support people leaving residential rehab to give them the best chance of lifelong recovery. Tony's journey and the growth of the charity would not have been possible without the support of our generous donors.
Help us keep up our good work
Our Work and Why It Matters
Our community consists of adults with histories of substance use and criminal justice involvement—many of whom have experienced trauma, poverty, and severe disadvantage. According to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, over 20,000 adults entering treatment in England in 2022–23 had a housing problem. We know that recovery is most fragile during this transition, and that homelessness and relapse are closely linked. Without support, people can quickly fall back into addiction, offending, and isolation.
Hope and Vision is one of the very few organisations in England offering long-term, peer-supported move-on accommodation to people exiting rehab. We exist to fill this critical gap.
Our Approach
Our homes offer more than shelter—they are communities. Residents take responsibility for daily life: cooking, paying bills, applying for work, and offering each other peer support. This balance of independence and support is key to long-term recovery.
All of our staff who support residents have been through recovery themselves. They walk alongside our residents—not as professionals with clipboards, but as peers and mentors who truly understand the journey. This trauma-informed, lived-experience-led model helps residents rebuild trust, confidence, and connection.
We also support community integration. Residents run a local allotment, volunteer with foodbanks, attend a shared gym, and have formed their own 12-step recovery group. We are developing supported training and employment pathways to address the stigma many face in the job market.
We offer up to five years of accommodation, with an average stay of 12 months. This provides a stable base from which people can rebuild their lives without the threat of having no secure place to live.
We know that recovery is not just about abstinence—it’s about belonging, purpose, and dignity. For one person, success might be seeing their children again. For another, it might be managing money, re-entering work, or staying drug-free after years of relapse.
“Being in a house with just one other gave me a real sense of being ‘home’. The clock isn’t ticking for me to leave. I have the space and time to recover and support my own journey.”
— Resident
The Houses
We are looking to grow our community in Reading and in need of more houses to rent. If you are a landlord and are keen to work with us, please contact us! We are looking for 3-bed houses in safe, quiet neighbourhoods. Each home will be decorated to a high standard and fully furnished.
We have implemented a REAL rent model (Realistic, Ethical, Adaptive, Liveable). When a man moves into employment, he will be required to pay rent at a market rate that is low enough to be affordable, but not so low as to prevent him from transitioning into fully independent living.
Tailored support
Our team of key workers with lived experience will support our residents from the first point of contact in a personalised way, all the way until they have moved on into a home of their own.
This includes learning vital life skills - such as paying bills, cooking, and budgeting - while also receiving the emotional support needed to grow in recovery.
Community feel
It is good to know you are not alone. Our residents are helping each other, have community meals with each others, can share their experiences and feel they are belonging.
They all take part in volunteering activities outside the charity, as part of rebuilding their lives.
Access to a Hope and Vision home becomes available when a resident move on. To get notified when referrals open, please leave details via our contact page:
The Reading Team
Kevin is a 'bitsa' which means he's lived bits of his life in different countries including New Zealand, Australia and the USA. He grew up experiencing the same kind of trauma that many of our residents have faced and has been in recovery from substances for over 20 years.
He has a degree in chemical dependency and 30 years working in the addictions field. His job is more than a profession - it is a vocation, a calling. The opportunity to help those who suffer by using an addiction to escape has always been a goal of his, and he is a very valued member of the Hope and Vision community.
Leo has several years’ experience working in a treatment centre and is a former resident of Hope and Vision Communities. He also has experience as a group facilitator and volunteer with a charity supporting the significant others of people in active addiction. Leo has supported many men in their journey through residential rehab and is looking forward to continuing this journey with the residents.
Will has 12 years' professional experience working in treatment centres, community support projects and housing pathways across the Thames Valley region. He has helped medical professionals with addiction issues through to street homelessness. He has a deep understanding of the effects of trauma both personally and professionally and understands what drives active addiction. He enjoys working with people, motivating others and being part of the process to enable people change their lives. Will has been practicing mindfulness for over 20 years through different variations of meditation. He regularly runs retreats for men to be able to open up about hidden emotional issues.