IT'S A charity helping some of the city's most vulnerable families.
And now the Hull Families' Project has had a bit of help of its own after a £107,000 makeover led by the team building Hull's schools.
It came about after the Hull Families' Project, which offers support to families in crisis, contacted the Smile Foundation for help who, in turn, called on Hull Esteem Consortium for their expert help.
Originally only asking for a lick of paint, the project snowballed, pulling in volunteers and organisations from across Hull who were eager and willing to help.
Ann Newlove, of Esteem, which is responsible for delivering Hull's £400m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project, said: "It started about eight months ago.
"The Smile Foundation requested some help for the project saying it needed a lick of paint and help with some electrics.
"When we walked through the door, we knew that was not enough.
"How they were managing to work in there was anyone's guess, really."
Working with Houlton's and Morgan Sindall, the team had originally planned to use the Esteem supply chain to complete the make-over.
But as word spread, more and more people and companies wanted to lend their support to such a worthwhile project.
Mrs Newlove said: "We put the project in the Exchange in High Street while we transformed the offices.
"Then it was all hands on deck."
Walls were stripped or knocked down, the kitchen was moved upstairs, a bigger meeting room created and the whole centre was transformed to meet the needs of the charity.
Barring £7,000, which will be raised by Esteem through the year, the whole project was done on goodwill by companies and individuals.
Mrs Newlove said: "When we handed it over, it took a while for the emotions to kick in.
"The team couldn't believe it.
"We were very proud, it was very special for the staff and we realised how much it was appreciated. When you look at the 'before and after', it's a huge change."
And for one young man. it was a project he can boast as his first in charge.
Esteem staff were busy building Hull's multi-million pound schools so the task was handed to one of Esteem's apprentices, Tom Fletcher, to take charge of the project.
Mrs Newlove said: "From the outset, we knew the scale of this project could not be underestimated. With the BSF programme in full flow and much of our team focused on that, we can honestly say we were slightly concerned as to how we could deliver a project on this scale. Enter apprentice Tom Fletcher.
"We didn't see him as an apprentice. The way he handled himself was great, he was so knowledgeable.
"It was a great opportunity for him."
Before landing the project manager job on the project, Tom, 19, was working on some of Hull's new schools as a trainee project manager with Esteem.
He said: "I knew this project would be an enormous challenge. I knew it would require numerous hours of co-ordination and planning but it was a scheme I was proud to be trusted with.
"If there were any issues, having the team I did around me, I knew anything could be solved.
"There were so many high points, from being entrusted with this project to the reaction on handover day. I think the only other point that really stuck with me was when we were getting down to the wire on programme and still did not have a kitchen.
"Craig and I hit the local suppliers and walked away with a donated kitchen and a huge sense of pride that people we had not met before believed in what we were doing and were willing to help us out."
The project, in Greenwood Avenue, north Hull, provides tailored one-to-one support for families who are experiencing a crisis due to ongoing difficulties or major life-events.
Staff help every family member find the right way to cope with stressful and difficult times, and supports the whole family in creating a better future together.
Sam Whitaker, chief executive of Esteem, said: "What started as having a look at the project very quickly led to our team pledging to transform a rather desperate space into something that would allow the charity to focus their energies on what they do best, rather than battling with their premises and infrastructure.
"It has taken many months in the planning, a lot of goodwill and a great many organisations and individuals to bring this project to life, but it has been more than worth it. There were certainly tears on handover day.
"To see what has been done in just over two weeks is testament to the members of Esteem who were involved, to the Morgan Sindall and Houlton teams and to all those suppliers, supporters and volunteers who came together to give time and resources to turn these plans into a reality."
