The Hull FC Community Foundation has received a grant of £3,900 from homelessness support charity Crisis to help continue their important work in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ‘In This Together’ grant scheme has been set up by the charity to ensure that fellow organisations like the Hull FC Community Foundation can continue their important work in the local community keeping people off the streets and supporting those struggling.
The homelessness and housing sectors are currently facing a huge and unprecedented challenge, with the grants going someway to supporting such organisations continue their crucial work.
Like many organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant strain on the Foundation’s ability to deliver programmes to people most in need in our community, with cash-flow reduced due to the pausing of commissioned delivery projects, and all but three members of staff being furloughed to support long term viability.
One member of the Foundation team continues to focus work with our participants who are living in vulnerable housing situations and who are at particular risk during this time of mental ill-health, heightened by social isolation. This includes those who we know access emergency shelters, live in supported accommodation (e.g. hostels), and who are ‘sofa surfing’ with friends.
With the support of the ‘In this Together Emergency Fund’, Hull FC Community Foundation will deliver the ‘Game Plan’ project which will offer the following targeted support for our current homeless participants and those who may not have accessed support through the Foundation before who are currently accessing supported housing centre in Hull:
1) Eating Well: The ‘Community Wellbeing Officer’ will proactively source food and wellbeing products through its existing Fare Share and supermarket agreements and deliver food parcels to those participants who we are aware of that are vulnerably housed. Delivering the food will be done in line with social distancing measures.
2) Wellbeing Activity: The Foundation will produce wellbeing packs (dropped off with food parcels) which include Hull FC branded resources which provide detailed information on keeping physically active and mentally resilient at this time whilst following government restrictions and being unable to engage in programmes. The packs will include information on other local resources which can provide support at this time, including health support services. We will host online activity, linking in to wider internet provision at hostels, to provide group based wellbeing activity, as well as linking our ‘Black and White Army’ volunteer group into the process to maintain regular social contact with participants through calls.
3) Positive Contribution: From speaking to our participant group, there is a real ‘can do’ attitude at this time with many keen to gain employment within supermarkets or volunteer to help others (being mindful of government guidelines. The community wellbeing officer will therefore support those who do want to participate in this with connections to local supermarkets and transport support where possible.
The main purpose of the ‘Game Plan’ programme is to maintain social contact and support the wellbeing of some of our most vulnerable participants during this period of restricted movement, particularly from the perspective of supporting their mental wellbeing when loneliness and social isolation will be significant issues.
STORY SPONSOR
