We are delighted to tell you that we have received a helping hand to the tune of £100,000 from the COVID-19 Homelessness Response Fund from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHLCLG) supported by Homeless Link.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to offer a front-line service to 200 of our clients. As you will imagine, during this time we also faced severe financial disruption due to the fact we had to halt many of our fundraising activities.
Unexpected disruption
To give an example of just one unprecedented cost we faced, between March – July 2020, we spent £15,000 on PPE alone. While this was worth it in order for us to keep our clients and staff safe, and for us to ensure that we were COVID-secure, this was a big expense that we were not prepared for, compounded by even bigger financial set-backs.
Claire Dowan, CEO of Homeless Oxfordshire, said:
“Homeless Oxfordshire has worked hard to adapt and change how we operate to be able to continue to provide our essential services during this pandemic. This has had a considerable impact on our finances and this emergency funding is a huge help that will enable us to continue to do this critical work across the county.”
This fund has been distributed by Homeless Link on behalf of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and will facilitate much-needed support to the sector at a time when many services are at risk due to the impact of the pandemic.
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, the national membership charity for frontline homelessness services, said:
“Homelessness charities have continued to provide invaluable support to those who rely upon them, despite suffering a fall in income as a result of the current public health crisis. We are delighted to be able to provide emergency funding to help Homeless Oxfordshire continue its essential work to prevent and end local homelessness through this pandemic and beyond.”
This much-welcomed money will enable us to continue our work as the largest provider of supported temporary accommodation for homeless adults in the county. We are committed to providing person-centered support to help people to recover from homelessness during these uncertain times and into the future.
See this story covered in the Oxford Mail here.
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