Excellence Isn't Charity - It's What Everyone Deserves

Posted: June 14, 2025 | Author: Shelita Jones, Home Transformation & Creative Director

Welcome to Hope Forward - a place where transformation begins with a simple but revolutionary idea: excellence isn't charity, it's what everyone deserves.

Why We're Starting This Journey

In Leicester's postcodes LE1, LE2, LE3, and LE5, we've witnessed something heartbreaking yet all too common. Families living in conditions that would be unacceptable to most, yet they've been told - sometimes directly, often through the quality of services they receive - that "this is good enough for people like you."

We refuse to accept that narrative.

The Moment Everything Changed

I was introduced to someone with extraordinary talent and promise - yet they couldn't see it themselves because their entire life had been absorbed by lack. They didn't bother with good grades because, honestly, what was the point? Social connections felt impossible when you're too embarrassed to let anyone see where you live. After all, what do people do when they get close? They visit each other's homes. For this young person, that simply wasn't an option.

Living amongst rats, mice, and bedbugs had become their normal. A house drowning in junk and clutter was just "the way things were" - until something remarkable happened. They were given the chance to experience a completely different way of life. A life where achieving wasn't just encouraged - it was expected. A home that wasn't just maintained but celebrated, where creativity could flourish through thoughtful décor and purposeful improvements.

Watching that transformation - seeing someone's entire worldview shift when they experienced what was truly possible - crystallised everything for us. This wasn't about lack of talent or potential. This was about an environment that had whispered, day after day, "excellence isn't for people like you." Their home hadn't just been poor - it had become a physical manifestation of lowered expectations, embedded in every cluttered corner and pest-infested space.

But here's what we learned: when someone experiences genuine excellence, when they're shown what's truly possible, something ignites within them. Our goal is to help people through education, example, and home transformations maintain standards where their children aren't at risk of being removed from their homes - where families can flourish together. To break the cycle of accepting "less than" and awaken something powerful in the people we serve that drives them to accomplish more.

Because every young person deserves to grow up believing that achievement is their birthright. Every family deserves a home where creativity can flourish and high standards feel natural. And every child deserves to thrive in the place where love lives - with their family.

What Makes Hope Forward Different

Commercial Standards, Not Charity Standards When we transform a home, we don't provide "good enough for charity" solutions. We provide commercial-grade decluttering, professional decoration, and premium furnishing. The same standards you'd expect if you were paying £20,000-£30,000 for the service.

Dignity, Not Pity Our families aren't projects to be fixed - they're people deserving of excellence. Every interaction, every decision, every detail reflects their inherent worth. We work with families, not on them.

Transformation, Not Just Renovation We're not just changing houses; we're changing lives. When someone experiences genuine excellence - when they're treated with the respect typically reserved for paying customers - something profound happens. They begin to see their own worth differently.

The Ripple Effect We're Creating

Here's what we've learned: when you treat someone with excellence, they don't just appreciate it - they begin to expect it. And when they expect excellence, they start creating it in other areas of their lives.

Imagine 20 Leicester families experiencing this transformation in Year 1. Imagine their children growing up in homes that reflect their worth. Imagine their neighbours seeing what's possible. Imagine the conversations in local schools, community centres, and churches.

That's not just 20 home transformations - that's the beginning of community-wide change.

Why Leicester, Why Now?

Leicester is a city of incredible diversity, resilience, and potential. But like many urban areas, it has pockets where hope has been eroded by years of low expectations and substandard support.

We chose to start here because Leicester deserves better. Because LE1, LE2, LE3, and LE5 families deserve the same quality of life as families in any other postcode. Because when Leicester thrives, everyone benefits.

Our Christian Heart, Our Inclusive Arms

Hope Forward is proudly Christian - our faith compels us to serve others with excellence as an expression of God's love. But our doors, our services, and our respect extend to people of all faiths and none. We believe every person is made in God's image, regardless of what they believe about God.

This isn't about converting anyone - it's about demonstrating love through practical action. For those who want spiritual support, we're here. For those who don't, we respect that completely. Excellence in service isn't conditional on faith.

What Happens Next?

As we prepare for our launch, we're building the partnerships, recruiting the volunteers, and securing the funding to make this vision reality. Every conversation we have, every connection we make, every pound we raise brings us closer to transforming our first family's home.

But this blog isn't just about us - it's about a movement. It's about changing the conversation around charity, dignity, and what people deserve. It's about proving that excellence is possible for everyone.

Join the Movement

Whether you're a potential volunteer, a community partner, a funder, or sim

ply someone who believes that everyone deserves excellence - you're part of this story.

Follow our journey. Share our posts. Challenge your own assumptions about what charity should look like. And remember: excellence isn't charity - it's what everyone deserves.

Together, we're not just transforming homes. We're transforming what's possible in Leicester.

Want to be part of the transformation? Contact us at info@hopeforward.org.uk or follow us on social media for updates on our journey to launch.

#ExcellenceForEveryone #WorthyHomes #LeicesterTransformation #HopeForward