Rebuilding Connections: Our £49,318 Grant to Porchlight
A home is vital, but recovering from homelessness can also mean rebuilding confidence, relationships and a sense of connection with the community.
Kent homelessness charity Porchlight is creating a new volunteer-led programme to provide exactly that kind of support, helped by a £49,318 grant from the Kent Reliance Community Foundation.
Porchlight has been tackling homelessness and its underlying causes in Kent and Medway for more than 50 years.
It was founded to help people facing the devastating effects of homelessness. Today, it also tackles the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality.
In the last year alone, Porchlight worked with 4,672 people.
An important part of its approach is ensuring services are shaped by people with experience of the issues the charity addresses. Its volunteers, many of whom have experienced homelessness and mental health problems themselves, contribute to activities, befriending and provide practical support across Kent.
Our grant will enable Porchlight to employ a dedicated Volunteer Coordinator and recruit, train and support around 20 volunteers, including people with lived experience.
Those volunteers will provide befriending and outreach support and help deliver tailored activities for people across East Kent.
Through one-to-one support and group activities, they will help people reduce isolation, increase confidence and develop stronger social connections as they rebuild their lives.
Jonathan Couch, Head of Grants, said: "One of the things that stands out about this project is the role people themselves can play in helping others move forward. Lived experience can bring understanding, credibility and human connection that is incredibly valuable. This grant will help Porchlight build a network of volunteers who can be alongside people as they regain confidence and reconnect with their community."
By investing in volunteer capacity, the funding can help Porchlight create a sustainable network of support and enable more people to receive personalised help on their journey away from homelessness.
For more information about Porchlight and its work, visit www.porchlight.org.uk