It’s been two weeks since we launched our In This Together campaign and we’ve already seen such an outpouring of generosity and concern from supporters. We’ve shown that together we can be there for people who are homeless for as long as this outbreak lasts, and beyond
We launched the campaign in order to:
- Keep our vital services running and continue to offer support to our members
- Help grassroots homelessness organisations to stay open and deliver additional services
We’ve already been able to adapt our own services to the changing needs of our members, as well as support a number of grassroots homelessness charities with grants. The grants have been restricted to organisations needing assistance to cope with the impact of the coronavirus and who have had to adapt their services to meet the increased need that there currently is.
The grant scheme has also been expanded from offering grants to organisations in our Skylight areas, from being nationwide across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is also now the option for organisations to apply for larger grants to make significant permanent changes as a result of this outbreak.
Due to high demand and thanks to the hugely generous response from our supporters, we have now increased our emergency grants scheme fund from £250,000 to £1million. Through this fund, we will pay for things which we know are not the full answer to ending homelessness. We are not dropping our belief that homelessness is only ended for good for most people by providing them with a home of their own. However, this is an emergency that requires emergency solutions.
Some of the organisations we've already been able to support include:
- Only a Pavement Away – a charity which acts as a conduit to employment to help those people struggling to get into work, overcome hurdles by finding jobs within the hospitality, pub and restaurant. The grant will be used to cover rent for those previously homeless in the hospitality industry who have been rendered unemployed by the coronavirus outbreak.
- Nomad - a Sheffield based charity which exists to improve access to decent, affordable housing, help people transition out of homelessness quickly and positively, and support people to develop the skills and resilience to help them avoid homelessness in the future. The grant will goo towards the costs of online interpreters as people cannot present in person.
- Oxford Gatehouse – an organisation which offers free support for adults aged 25+ who are homeless, vulnerably housed, on low income and/or looking for company and community. The grant will be used to purchase safety equipment, gloves, cleaning materials and enact food preparation changes.
- Akwaaba, a Hackney-based social centre for migrants. As the centre has had to close, the grant has been used to go towards outreach costs.
For more information about the grant process, our Head of Best Practice, Chris Hancock, has written the following blog post, which can be accessed here. Or get in touch with us at philanthropy@crisis.org.uk
Article date 03.04.20