176 - Support for a mum & kids fleeing domestic abuse - Sept 24


This week we can tell you about donation 176 which has helped a mum and her kids who have fled from domestic abuse.


When our member contacted us, they explained she had left her family home and she and her kids were sleeping on the floor of a friend’s one bedroom flat.  She is being supported to find housing, but negotiating for these services is sadly becoming increasingly hard.  There is so little provision.


Where they are currently living is so far away from schools the kids attend, so they are having to get buses  - which mum is struggling to pay for. They cannot apply for bus passes until they get temporary housing - and even then there will be a waiting time and no guarantee of success.  Our member had calculated that a month of bus travel to school for the kids would be around £350 and asked if we might be able to help.


This lady has clearly taken such a brave step to leave her home and now faces such an uncertain time with her kids as they try to find work out their next steps.  We are glad they have the support of our member and the local charity she runs - which we know is going above and beyond to help this family -  and are pleased to be able to send the family £500 to help a little at this very difficult time.  


As is so often the case, we know our donation is just a small bit of help in a very difficult situation, where the long term solutions are incredibly hard to access.  We send the family lots of love and wish them luck in getting permanently rehomed.


It is heartbreaking reading many of the nominations we receive.  We really are grateful to you all for continuing to support 500 together to allow us to make these donations and offer some love and kindness to others.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

39 - Support for victims & survivors of Domestic Abuse - Rehouse to Rehome - February 2021

Image
For our latest donation we are sending £500 to Francine at  Rehouse to Rehome , a Sheffield based charity supporting and empowering victims and survivors of Domestic Abuse. Our £500 will go towards buying a cooker/fridge/ washing machine for a family that Francine is helping to rehome.  Francine tells us that she has seen a significant rise in requests for help since the beginning of the pandemic. Our donation has been very gratefully received and Francine has kindly sent us this powerful message explaining why: Not having essential household goods often becomes a real and practical barrier that prevents a survivor from leaving an abusive relationship. Even when individuals gather up the immense courage it takes to flee an abusive relationship and, if they are lucky enough to be re-housed by the authorities, there is a strong possibility that they will not get the financial support required to furnish that property with even the most basic of household goods which are a necessity in or
Read more

156 - Helping a mum & daughter settle into their new home - April 2023

This week we can tell you about donation 156, which has gone to A and her young daughter. After spending some time in a women's refuge, they have been living in temporary accommodation, waiting to be allocated council housing.  This has finally happened, but as is so often the case, the house they are expected to move into is unfurnished and uncarpeted.  We were able to put A in touch with some charities who could help her source some furniture and apply for funds to get carpets and she worked hard to do as much as she could to set up her new home, but asked if we could help her with the cost of getting blinds, as well as some home essentials, like an iron, ironing board and vacuum cleaner.  We were pleased to be able to send her £500 towards these items.   A has asked us to send her thanks to you all for supporting her and helping her and her daughter settle into their new home. We wish them all the best and as always feel very privileged to have been able to help.
Read more

118 - Helping SWWOP set up a 'flexi-pot' to allow them to support women in emergency situations.

We often say how lucky we are to have among our members people who work & volunteer in some of Sheffield’s extraordinary local organisations and charities.     We always welcome nominations from them - they see so much need on a daily basis, so when they ask for our help we know our contribution will make a difference. On this occasion SWWOP (Sheffield Working Women's Opportunities Project) , an organisation which provides intensive support to vulnerable women involved in street prostitution, asked if we could help them. SWWOP’s primary service is making contact with women involved in street prostitution and being a friendly face to offer non-judgmental and confidential support and information.  They provide street based outreach and drop in sessions, with an aim to improve the women’s health and safety.  https://www.swwop.org SWWOP told us that since the start of the cost-of-living crisis, they have seen the number of women they support involved in sex work almost triple.  Wom
Read more