Trinity Homeless Projects were given £3,000 thanks to the Lloyds Bank Community Fund.
HILLINGDON’S homeless will continue to be helped after one charity received thousands of pounds to continue giving those living rough the opportunity to get back on their feet and into employment.
Trinity Homeless Projects were the lucky recipients of £3,000 courtesy of the Lloyds Bank Community Fund after coming out on top against other community organisations in a public vote.
Trinity have 21 properties within Hillingdon and provide support in the form of housing, guidance and employment opportunities to around 100 people at any one time.
There are always more homeless people in need of their services however, with the waiting list usually lengthy, but fundraising manager Andy Robertson insists the funding will help Trinity to continue helping as many as possible.
“We were obviously very pleased to hear the news and it is always nice to get local support from the community,” said Andy.
“It is the first time we had done anything with Lloyds and we were surprised to profit straight away but it is fantastic for us.
“We offer support to the homeless in three ways with our strap-line being ‘home plus people plus job’.
“We provide people with a home to live in, with people in the form of support workers who are non-judgemental and help with day-to-day needs.
“And we provide them with training and employment opportunities because that is key to ending homelessness in anyone’s life.
“There is always something we can spend money on with the work we can do in Hillingdon. It is never ending really as we have 100 people at any one time with us and there is always a waiting list.
“There are a number of ways we can use the money; every person we help will receive a welcome pack with basic bedding and toiletries which costs £100 each.
“We offer transition funds if people move from benefits to paid employment to cover that gap that may exist and also for home improvements to our properties which can be £2,000 annually.
“We have 21 properties where everyone who lives in one is referred to us by the local authorities and we interview people that are after somewhere to live.”
Now in its second year, the Lloyds Bank Community Fund gave grants to more than 1,332 local good causes in 333 communities throughout England and Wales .
Four good causes were nominated by staff in each community with more than 2.3million votes cast in branches, online and by text message at the end of 2013.
And after the public rallied to help Trinity, Andy believes the issue of homelessness is finally getting the level of awareness it requires.
“We are having more and more of an impact in the community,” he added.
“We held the ‘Big SleepOut’ last November where 150 people slept outside raising money for us, including the mayor and mayoress of Hillingdon, five local businesses and three schools.
“Things like this are fantastic as they help towards raising awareness of the issue and one of the biggest jobs we have is to change misconceptions about homelessness.
“It is a very complex issue and my experience is that people are not aware of it and that nobody is immune from it.”
Lloyds Bank has provided funding to 1,332 community groups in England & Wales through its Community Fund in 2013. To find out more about the community groups in your area, visit www.lloydsbank.com/communityfund
Photo courtesy of MrAndrewRob, with thanks.
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