Our history

Ipswich Housing Action Group was established and opened its first house to residents in 1976, the same year as the heatwave, record inflation and Ipswich Town finished sixth in the First Division, signing Paul Mariner from Plymouth for a club record £220,000.

Originally based in Old Foundry Road, the charity aimed to help single men who found themselves homeless for whatever reason. Ten years later, a Community Resource Centre (CRC) opened on the site and remained there until moving to its current location in Black Horse Lane in 2011, later changing its name to The Chapman Centre.

Throughout the charity’s history, the focus has been on prevention first, often demonstrating and advocating for change on behalf of those it supports. A regulated Money Advice Service was introduced in 1997, offering impartial and practical support and advice around debts. This closed in March 2023 due to a lack of funding.

Today, ihAg welcomes anyone at risk of homelessness, or living with the experience of homelessness. The aim is still to secure a safe place to call home, as we believe this is a fundamental human right.

A message from the Chair of Trustees, Antonia Lancaster, taken from the 2021 Annual Report.

"The last twelve months has been spent trying to create stability for our service users, staff and volunteers, when everything around us seemed to be changing day by day.

Our new Chief Executive Officer, Jools, had barely been in post when the pandemic hit and all plans were put on hold to enable us to adapt and deliver our services in a safe way.

The pandemic has challenged the way we work, and we will take the learning from this to continue to ensure our services are responsive and meet the needs of the people we support."

Our vision is that "Every person has access to a safe home to call their own, and receive the right support for them, at the right time, to enable them to maintain their home, and achieve a level of independency which is right for them"

Donate now to support the work of ihAg.

Our mission is to "work alongside people living with the experience of homelessness, and those facing the risk of homelessness due to the challenges of everyday life, through personal adversity to security"

Hear more from Jools Ramsey-Palmer, ihAg’s Chief Executive Officer.

The Trustees are the Directors of the company and form the voluntary management committee. We always welcome more expertise.

Meet the Trustees.

“The current cost-of-living crisis and cost of housing crisis is having a profound effect on every single household in Suffolk. Over the past twelve months we have seen a signifcant increase in the demand for our support, as people from all walks of life find themselves at the edge of homelessness. I'm incredibly proud of the whole ihAg team, who bring such compassionate and commitment to the workplace every single day, to ensure all who seek our help are given the very best support, advice and guidance " Jools Ramsey-Palmer, CEO

Meet the management team behind the services.

If you have unanswered questions about our actions to support those facing financial hardship or homelessness, or would like more information about our services, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions, or view our Myth Busting videos

ihAg is based at the Chapman Centre, our "Advice Hub" which is open 6-days a week, offering support advice and guidance by phone, face-to-face appointments, and drop-in's.

Whilst we do not have emergency beds to offer to people who are street homeless, we can support people to register for these via the Local Authority.

Call us to see how we can help you, soneone you know, or someone you are supporting.

When the pressure of work led to an episode of poor mental health, E’s marriage ended and he lost his home. After two years sofa surfing and sleeping rough, E approached ihAg for support. Since then, he has successfully engaged with mental health support services, is repaying his debts and volunteering at a community library to rebuild his confidence. His next positive step is to find a small place he can call his own. Read more case studies here.

ihAg Ltd is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee (Charity number 1107841, Company number 5268499) which works closely with many organisations and agencies to deliver its services.