A Manchester-based homeless charity has received a cash injection of almost £10million towards helping society’s most vulnerable people.
Shelter, a homeless and housing organisation that assists people in finding accommodation, was given the subsidy – worth £9,894,466 – as part of a Big Lottery Fund initiative.
The investment scheme is providing money for community projects that help people with problems such as homelessness, addiction, mental health issues and persistent re-offending make the best of their opportunities.
Vanessa Dixon, Shelter’s regional manager, spoke of how the investment will give the charity a boost in their aim to help the less fortunate.
“This grant from the Big Lottery Fund will help Shelter and our partners to make a big difference to many people’s lives in Manchester,” she said.
“We’ve worked with people who face a number of complicated challenges to create a project that offers long-term support and helps in a range of ways, including finding a suitable place to live, improving their mental health and the opportunity for work experience – including paid work.
“Through this project we aim to show how services working more closely together, and crucially with those who need the support, for a sustained period of time, can turn lives around.”
The Shelter grant is part of a total £112 million that is being awarded to community initiatives in 12 areas across the country, broken down into packages of up to £10 million per district.
Nat Sloane, chairman of the Big Lottery Fund England, explained how the initiative will help turn those who are ‘drains on society’ into ‘assets’ for their communities.
“We’ve worked with a range of charities who tell us that currently the system is flawed,” he said. “People are passed from pillar to post and the result is them rebounding in and out of A&E departments and criminal courts rather than being helped in an effective way by integrated support services.”
“This £112 million investment will end the revolving door of care for these vulnerable people and, rather than being drains on society, will allow them to become assets that benefit their communities and society as a whole.”
Picture courtesy of mrrobertwade via Flickr, with thanks.
