With Christmas coming closer and to support our residents in facing the cost of living crisis, we are delighted to announce that the following voluntary sector organisations were awarded a small Community Hub grant:
Croydon North East: His Grace Evangelica Outreach
1. Benefit Advice: Looking at what help is available to individuals and families on benefit and working with them to ensure that they are receiving the right benefit as well as sign posting them to other suitable services. This also includes completing forms for individuals and follow up calls and emails to various agencies to ensure satisfactory result.
2. Advocacy and Physical activity: Giving general financial, accommodation and employment advice, as well as engaging service users in various physical and mental activity with the aim of strengthening their mental and physical well-being.
3. Healthy Eating: Promoting healthy eating through our nutritional classes and encouraging families to cook together. Including people with complex health condition including asylum seekers.
4. Social Connection/peer support – Bringing people together in a Safe Space where they can connect and share common interests.
Croydon North West: Croydon Mencap
Benefits check drop in & community drop-in sessions supporting people with Mental Health and or Learning Disabilities to access financial support at the Brigstock Road Community Hub; support to understand and access welfare benefits through guided conversations using wordless pictures, peer support and 1:1 case work. Working in partnership with Mind in Croydon (1:1 case work) and Books Beyond Words (stories co-created with and for people who find pictures helpful to understand topics).
Croydon Central East: Woodside Baptist Church
A Community Pop In will provide weekly support to those most impacted by cost of living crisis; weekly topics will include: connection to local services to offer practical solutions to cost of living problems, offer of emotional support, advice for managing money and household bills, physical activity sessions. We will also offer peer support, weekly walks, on- going talking therapy in groups or at an individual level and healthy eating initiatives.
Croydon Cental West: Beeja
A programme of physical activities focusing on inactive people, on low incomes and those with long term health conditions delivered by four grassroots community organisations. Activities, to be held at the Active Communities Hub, Centrale Shopping Centre, will include Bollywood, Chair Yoga, Mat Yoga sessions, Tai Chi, African Fusion Dance. Contact anusha@beeja.com for more information.
Croydon South East: New Addington Pathfinders and Family Centre Fieldway
New Addington Pathfinders will delivery their "Tuesday Squirrel Café": an opportunity for anyone to pop in for cake and conversation with experts present by arrangement and police attending once a month to listen to residents' concerns. It will also allow the opening of the Community Hub on a Wednesday, when partners such as the Department for Work and Pension, Age Concern, Healthy Homes, Social Workers, Social prescribers and other charities, have a presence in the building to meet and support residents.
The Family Centre Fieldway will use their small grant to support and engage the local community during the Christmas period.
Croydon South West: Priscilla's Group CIC
Expanding the reach and delivery of sessions taking place at 350 Limpsfield Road (Corner House Tea Room and charity boutique) to include adult craft clubs, knitting groups, book clubs, women in business coffee meet ups, menopause support groups, walking groups, working groups for local conservation in our green spaces, discussion groups, partnership forums, engagement events, reptile therapy and education, signposting to direct services for health and social care support. Build on the existing work placement programme for young adults with learning difficulties. Contact priscillascic@gmail.com for more information.
We received a very good number of applications from some amazing local VS providers and we hope to be able to continue to work with them all on future opportunities.