Examples
of Grants Made
The
Amber Foundation
The grant from Help the Homeless has enabled The Amber Foundation to
buy new bedroom furniture for their residential centre in Devon, where
every year over 60 unemployed, homeless young people are able to rebuild
their lives and gain the motivation, confidence, self-esteem and skills
for independent living.
The condition of the environment in which young people live is important
for their social development. So many young people who go to Amber have
lived in unkempt and extremely poor conditions due to their chaotic
lifestyles. Many will have spent many months in institutionalised environments
with no sense of belonging. Amber's aim is to provide them with a temporary
home where they can take personal pride in, and a responsibility for,
the environment in which they live. This is important in helping them
to live and work with others when they move back into mainstream society.
The grant of £3,000 has enabled every person staying at Amber
to have their own wardrobe and chest of drawers, which for many is a
first.
The
Booth Centre )
The Booth Centre is an advice and activity centre for homeless people
in Manchester, where people undertake education and training courses
as well as receiving advice and food. They used a grant of £1,500
from Help the Homeless to transform the centre with new lighting, a
new water heater and new decoration.
The
Centre has been transformed into a much lighter, brighter and seemingly
bigger space. They have had very positive feedback from people at the
Centre who really love the changes. Four people got their Level 1 painting
and decorating qualification as part of the work and they are really
proud of the job they did.
Friends
First, Brighton
Friends First House offers a place of stability, safety and support,
where issues from the past can be thought about and addressed and where
realistic and achievable plans for the future can be made with confidence.
Help the Homeless, along with three other funders, enabled Friends First
to set about a series of projects refurbishing and reequipping key areas
of their project. Help the Homeless made a grant of £2,982 towards
the project.
Residents and staff worked alongside one another to build a new staff
office, a resource area for lifeskills training, education and job searching
as well as their current project to strip and replace the kitchen and
dining area. Plastering, woodwork, painting & decorating and maintenance
skills were all taught, with some residents taking the lead in managing
aspects of the projects design and implementation. The projects have
worked as a great opportunity to allow residents to learn new skills
and for others to revisit old ones.
Marylebone
The Marylebone
Project received a grant of £2,930 from Help the Homeless, which
enabled them to purchase new curtains and duvets for fifty bedrooms
within their Cosway Street hostel.
The
bedrooms at the hostel are used continuously by homeless women aged
between 18 and 59 who will often be accessing the Marylebone Project
for numerous reasons including domestic violence, financial crisis,
sexual exploitation and mental health issues.
The
Marylebone project tries hard to make the women feel safe and secure
in their new environment and the standard of the rooms plays a big part
of this. Once women begin to settle into life at the hostel the projects
staff are then able to assist them with addressing their needs and to
help them with resettlement. The core mission of the Marylebone Project
is to 'empower homeless women back into society' and with support from
Help the Homeless this is being successfully achieved with many women.
