Church Homeless Charity

Small grants, big impact.

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The decorations may be packed away, but the warmth that you helped us to show to homeless individuals over the festive season will endure as they go on into the New Year.

We have received a number of wonderful photographs and comments showing just how much difference your donations make. They go far beyond letting residents of homeless schemes across the country get together, enjoy a hot meal, and receive small gifts.

One homeless individual said “I thought this Christmas would be the worst but I’ve actually had the most fun.”

At a youth foyer, for young adults in training or education, residents had fun-filled a meal out, a great reward for all of their ongoing hard work towards rebuilding their lives. You can spot them on our Facebook making good use of some toy moustaches during their meal!

50 individuals with mental health issues, who are being given support by an outreach service in Hull, were also able to get together at the Kingston Theatre Hotel and enjoy a meal. The service’s support workers have had a lot of positive feedback from the event.

One support worker explained: “Many of our residents do not have anywhere to spend Christmas or anyone to receive a present from. Your donation has meant that they had meals, activities and presents, which they said made this difficult time easier to bear.”

A number of schemes were able to use our funding to cook their own meals in-house and provide Christmas party games, crackers, and even costumes so that a willing resident could be their scheme’s Father Christmas. Residents were able to enjoy Christmas roasts with all the trimmings, snacks, treats, and buffets. One commented: “All this food is amazing! I haven’t eaten this well in ages!”

Christmas vouchers and presents left one resident in disbelief that it was all for him, “For me? Really?” And many of the individuals our funding helped were truly touched by what they received: “Christmas is a difficult and stressful time for everyone, especially people like me, so to know that you care enough to put on as good a spread as you can really lifts me up, around this time of year.”

One hostel set up a large screen in the communal room so that residents could relax with their favourite films. But they weren’t allowed to simply lounge around: an array of fun activities followed their Christmas meal, including karaoke and bingo. On Boxing Day, a spread of buffet food was set out, and Christmas movies were shown, to give everyone a more relaxing day. The residents appreciated the thought that had gone into the festivities, with one saying: “Having Christmas activities takes my mind off what I feel I miss at Christmas time.”

Finally, we want to leave you with a comment from one hostel resident that sums up how we feel about our donors throughout the year: “Thank you for being here.”

This Christmas, thanks to donations, Church Housing Trust has been able to provide grants for more than 2,200 people who have been homeless.

On Christmas morning, these individuals will wake up knowing they will receive a hot meal and a gift – some for the first time in years.

Instead of spending the festive season isolated and at risk from cold weather, they’ve been given an extra bit of seasonal cheer through funding for get-togethers, home-cooked meals, parties and small gifts at over 80 different homelessness schemes in England.

A couple of schemes have already been busy, as you can see from the photo of a buffet meal, attended by volunteers of Art and Soul in Liverpool. They were all once addicts themselves, but are now committed volunteers at the project, which uses arts and music to support others through their recovery.

Alongside donations, our supporters sent in their good wishes for the individuals they are benefitting. We were truly touched by their responses and have passed them on to schemes across the country.

Aline said “May you be blessed with faith, hope and love this Christmas and during the New Year” while the Oakley family commented “We hope you enjoy as happy a Christmas as possible and have a good dinner among friendly people. God bless you.”

A young woman called Lucie sent in the message “Thinking of you and those like you this Christmas – hope you enjoy a bit of food, company and Christmas good cheer! All the very best for 2016.” And Norman said simply “With every blessing for this Christmas season and for your whole future.”

Download an image of all of the wishes we have received so far.

The Teenage Parent Project in Wakefield recently held an open day, funded by Church Housing Trust.

The day was a vital opportunity for young parents to meet the agencies and individuals that they would work with and be supported by once they had moved on from the project.

It was also a great chance for staff and families to socialise, have some fun and take a break from their day-to-day lives. For many of these young mothers, who have come from overcrowded family homes, broken relationships or care services, this sense of community, support and respite can be a huge help.

Donations and support from Church Housing Trust meant that mothers and babies living at the scheme, and some who are being provided floating support in other accommodation, could have a catch up over a buffet lunch and refreshments. All of the kids got to play in the garden and everyone enjoyed a variety of games including a Disney theme song quiz, a raffle, and a lucky dip.

Providing this day cost only a small grant, less than £50, and made such a difference to the families’ lives.

You can help us to do more. Donate today.

Church Housing Trust is lucky enough to have another keen fundraiser taking on an incredible challenge later in the year.

Dave Bray is raising funds for The Beacon, a supported housing scheme in North Yorkshire for veterans and ex-Services personnel, by taking part in the Great North Run on Sunday 13 September.

Donate to Dave

Dave retired from the Royal Corps of Transport in 2005 due to ill health, having served for 23 years. He regularly raises funds for military and veterans’ charities, and estimates he’s raised more than £20,000 over the past seven years.

Although he lives locally, about two and a half miles away, he hadn’t heard about The Beacon and only discovered it existed when he happened on its Facebook page. When he found out about the scheme, he began collecting anonymously donated goods, getting donations to the value of £600 in the months leading up to Christmas.

Currently, his marathon training covers about 25 miles per week, depending on his knees and back, mainly walking with his Staffordshire terrier in the Yorkshire countryside. He says he’s knackered, but would run the marathon regardless of how much he gets to train.

Due to his injuries, the cold weather causes him pain, so where possible he’s using the Help for Heroes gym. So far he’s lost 4lbs and 2% of his body fat, which is an excellent start!

A few friends are accompanying him, one also raising funds for The Beacon and two others running for different causes.

Dave aims to raise £1,000 for The Beacon, and has £80 on his JustGiving page so far – please sponsor him!

A local law firm trust, Harrison Clark Rickerbys’ Charitable Trust, has donated £500 towards a residents’ training kitchen at Newton House in Gloucester.

Newton House is a Riverside ECHG supported housing scheme, with 50 bedspaces for single homeless people with a variety of support needs including mental health problems, substance and alcohol misuse, and a history of rough sleeping. Many of the staff at Newton House have Health and Hygiene certificates, but at the moment there is nowhere for them to hold cooking lessons.

Residents at the scheme showed a real interest and enthusiasm for a proper training kitchen and the opportunity to take part in skills sessions and communal meals. Since then they have been involved in deciding what their new kitchen will look like and what equipment will be needed.

Experience at similar housing schemes has shown that having a modern and well-equipped kitchen is enormously beneficial to the residents. Not only does it enable them to acquire practical skills in cooking, healthy eating, and food preparation and hygiene, but it also provides the opportunity for them to learn to work as part of a team and socialise with fellow residents and staff.

Attending regular cooking clubs helps residents gain the skills and confidence to be able to cook healthy meals for themselves; something hugely important when helping formerly homeless people live independent lives.

Trust Fundraising Manager at Church Housing Trust, Steve Holdsworth, said: “As a charity we are reliant on donations to support Riverside’s housing schemes. Once a homeless person is safely in a supported housing scheme, Riverside will use our funding to help them get back on track and able to re-enter society. Their support staff will work closely with each person to determine their needs, whether it be help finding work, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, or simply building trust and social skills.”

Partner at Harrison Clark Rickerbys and Trustee of Harrison Clark Rickerbys’ Charitable Trust, Mathew Waddington, commented: “In today’s challenging economic climate we feel that it is particularly important to support Church Housing Trust, which in turn provides a home to the homeless and support to vulnerable people which helps them regain their independence and resettle in the community. We are pleased to have been able to provide financial support to help them refurbish their training kitchen. With one of our offices based in Cheltenham, we are pleased to help give back to the community within which we operate.”

Church Housing Trust would like to express its thanks to Harrison Clark Rickerbys.