Published: 23 August 2023
We’ve been amazed by the positive response to our new Community Impact Grants programme, which launched in January 2023. So far, the programme has supported more than 170 Christian organisations across the UK and Ireland.
The aim of launching the programme - which forms part of our new grants framework – is to support more projects that are tackling major social issues, such as homelessness, poverty, mental health, addiction, and social exclusion. We also recognised the need to broaden our grants to fund salaries and extra resource, so that Christian organisations can grow their impact and meet the need in their communities.
We’re excited to share some of the recent projects to receive our Community Impact Grants:
Hope Housing, Bradford
Hope Housing is a charity that exists to fill the gaps in homeless provision across Bradford. Since the charity was established in 2009, it has helped more than 2,000 people transition from homelessness to safe and stable accommodation.
A local survey highlighted that there was around 345 people living on the streets of Bradford every night in 2022. With the rising cost of living this is expected to increase dramatically in 2023.
A Community Impact Grant of £35,700, across three years, will help the charity to employ a Centre Manager who will develop church partnerships and recruit and train more volunteers. This will enable Hope Housing to support many more people experiencing homelessness.
West London Mission
West London Mission (WLM) provides an accessible counselling programme for people on low incomes in London. Since the pandemic, the programme has been inundated with requests for support, and for the last year WLM has had to operate a waiting list.
WLM will use our multi-year grant of £54,000 to employ a new Clinical Manager and Senior Administrator. The charity will also increase the number of peer support groups and recruit 48 volunteer trainee counsellors. With this extra resource, the charity will be able to clear its waiting list and support an additional 450 people.
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Ykids, Bootle, Merseyside
Bootle is one of the most disadvantaged areas of the UK, with poverty rising by 17% in the last five years. There are high rates of poor mental health, substance abuse, and gang membership.
Ykids is a well-established charity providing much-needed support in the area; delivering weekly youth and children’s groups, family support, a community pantry, and mentoring sessions.
To engage with more young people in the area, a multi-year grant of £54,000 will help Ykids to employ an Intern and Volunteer Programme Coordinator to increase its capacity and develop new youth activities.
Orchards UK, London
Orchards works with women to help them break free from sexual exploitation. Through the charity’s partnership work with local churches, Orchards provides support, advice, information, and choices for vulnerable women trying to build a new life.
The need for specialist safe housing and trauma counselling far exceeds what the charity can currently deliver. The pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis have exacerbated the risks of exploitation for women.
A multi-year grant of £31,300 will help Orchards to expand its work in two new locations, reaching more vulnerable women with the help they need to flourish.
YMCA North Tyneside
YMCA North Tyneside operates across the North East, committed to working with local communities to help build safe, inclusive communities, where all can belong.
With the support of a £43,200 multi-year grant, YMCA North Tyneside will expand the team to develop a programme of services that tackle major community issues. This will include tackling poverty, poor mental health and wellbeing, isolation, and issues that affect minority groups such as refugees and the LGBTQ+ community.
*Header image: YMCA North Tyneside
