Help people recover from homelessness

Essentials Fund

This winter, homeless and vulnerable adults will face increased hardship. In response to these challenges, we have established our Essentials Fund, which helps the people we support to manage basic needs.

The fund will help people recovering from homelessness get back on their feet by providing simple items that can have a huge impact on someone’s life.

Recently, the fund helped to buy someone a mobile phone to stay in touch with loved ones, safety boots for a new job on site, and a wheelchair battery that would otherwise have left someone housebound. These aren’t exceptional asks, but lifelines. They help people regain independence as they recover from the trauma of homelessness.

Please support our Essentials Fund this winter by donating whatever you can.

Your gift will make a real difference to people recovering from homelessness.  

John’s Story

While sleeping rough, John struggled with alcohol addiction. He suffered a bad fall whilst living on the streets and now walks with a crutch and sometimes experiences seizures. 

When John was helped off the street by outreach workers, it was important for him to have somewhere accessible to stay. He has recently moved into a self-contained flat, with a small kitchenette in a Thames Reach hostel.  

How the Essentials Fund has helped

As a former pastry chef, John was keen to get back into cooking.

With help from the Essentials Fund, John purchased an induction hob and pans. These essential items have enabled him to feel more independent and motivated.

John is excited for a fresh start and in his words, to ‘get better’. He wants to re-start his career as a chef and hopes that cooking on the hob will help refresh his memory and skills.

When the time comes for John to move on and leave the hostel, he can take his hob with him.