Homeless charity's delight at £322k Lottery grant

Worthing Churches Homeless Projects has been awarded the money from the Big Lottery Fund to reduce homelessness through its Littlehampton Community Homelessness Project.

Sue Stevens, from the charity, said: “We are thrilled to have received the Lottery grant; it will enable us to deliver vital support to people in our community who are experiencing or facing the possibility of homelessness.”

Four roles, based in Littlehampton, can continue thanks to the grant; a private rented sector access worker, helping clients access and maintain sustainable accommodation in the Littlehampton area; an accommodation support worker who will work alongside clients who are struggling to maintain tenancies; a breakfast club co-ordinator who will organise the breakfast club on a daily basis for clients, and a Littlehampton co-ordinator to oversee the delivery of services in Littlehampton and to develop relationships with local stakeholders.

Although the four roles were not due to end, the charity may have had to reduce them or seek alternative funding had it not been awarded the grant.

Ted Stoner, the homeless charity’s Littlehampton co-ordinator, said: “The grant is an enormous help to the charity, without this funding we would have had to drastically reduce our services at a point when we are seeing an increase in people needing our support. We recognise homelessness is a complex issue and we continue to strive to empower individuals to acquire independent living and continue to need funding to enable us to do this.”

The breakfast club runs from Monday to Thursday, 9am to 10.30am, at Littlehampton United Church. Mr Stoner thanked the church for its continued support and ‘generosity’.

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