LOWE, London’s most trusted property guardianship company, has launched the LOWE Foundation, a charity designed to support young keyworkers, entrepreneurs and artists hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, with guardians able to live in London for as little as £150 per month.
Founded in 2015 and led by Managing Director Tim Lowe, LOWE is at the forefront of providing keyworkers with housing in London and manages a portfolio of 60 commercial and 150 residential buildings across the capital in locations including Kensington, Finsbury Park, Blackheath, Clapham Junction, Willesden Green and Stoke Newington. LOWE currently provides flats, bedrooms and suites to over 700 guardians who stay in the buildings which have shared kitchens, living areas and bathrooms, and some with gyms, home cinemas and bars, pay below-market rents.
LOWE manages and transforms buildings into keyworker accommodation for clients including London Square, Legal & General, Pocket Living, Southern Housing, Peabody, Knight Frank, SAVILLS, CBRE and Gerald Eve and local authorities including Ealing, Lambeth, Newham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The newly launched LOWE Foundation will support 24 select guardians each year with significant licence fee reductions, access to a dedicated support network, and the opportunity to work directly with the LOWE senior team to promote their work and launch community projects. The foundation will also support chosen charities each month, donating money for every new LOWE guardian or property agreed.
The new foundation will support 24 chosen guardians each year through the LOWEKey Ambassadors Programme. The chosen ambassadors will receive a licence fee reduction of up to 60%, meaning rooms may cost as little as £150 per month in central London, with rooms in Oxford and Bournemouth costing £100 per month using the reduction.
The ambassadors will be selected as two groups of 12, with the first group now unveiled and applications for the second round to open in January 2021. To become an ambassador, the individual must already be a LOWE guardian in any of the company’s properties across London, Brighton, Oxford or Bournemouth.
The LOWEKey Ambassadors will be from three categories: Keyworkers, the majority of which work in healthcare; Innovators, being entrepreneurs or start-up founders; and Placemakers, people who contribute to their community, the majority of which are artists, musicians and creators.
The first 12 Ambassadors include a doctor, teacher, carer, healthcare assistant, artist, actor, writer, theatre producer, small business owners and entrepreneurs. The Ambassadors are living in LOWE properties in Mayfair, Marble Arch, Islington, Clapham, Finsbury Park, Lambeth, Camberwell, Stoke Newington, with two Ambassadors living in Brighton.
Tim Lowe, Director of LOWE commented: “The Lowe Foundation is a cause that we have been passionate about since the business began and it is a delight to see it now launch. For so many keyworkers, entrepreneurs and creatives, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an immeasurable effect on their livelihoods and we are not yet understanding the full economic consequences of the virus. The Lowe Foundation provides unparalleled support for these young keyworkers including a significant reduction in their licence fee and the opportunity to work directly with our LOWE team to bring community projects to life and promote their work. This is the opportunity for our guardians to live in prime locations for a vastly reduced fee, as low as £150 per month in central London, with a support network and the platform to find their voice.”
LOWE highlight that 54% of London’s blue-light workers (including healthcare, emergency services and armed forces) live outside the city, with the cost of rent rising three times as much as the rise in public services salaries. With LOWE, keyworkers get priority place for viewings and rooms, and entrepreneurs can access subsidised workspaces in prime locations.
As well as the financial support of a licence fee reduction, during their 12 months of support as an Ambassador, the young guardians will have use of the LOWE platform to promote their work and the chance to work with LOWE’s senior team on projects to help their local community. The Ambassadors will also have access to a growing keyworker network for support, an essential tool during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Led by the first round of Ambassadors, community projects include creating studio space for community artists to showcase their work, a virtual guardian book club and video yoga classes, all designed to boost community spirit, mental health and support for keyworkers and creatives during the pandemic.
For charity donations on an ongoing basis, the LOWE Foundation uses the Buy 1 Give 1 scheme. For every new property brought on to the guardianship network, LOWE donates £250, and for every new guardian that takes a room LOWE donates £10 on an ongoing basis. Each month, the money will be donated to Spires Streatham, a South London charity that supports London’s homeless, and to a charity affiliated with a chosen guardian.
The next round of LOWEKey Ambassador applications opens in January 2021. For further information on the Lowe Foundation or the LOWEKey Ambassadors Programme, please contact LOWE at www.loweguardians.com or contact +44 (0) 207 856 0171.
