Providing year round comfort
It Takes a City (Cambridge)
Working to end homelessness in Cambridge, together.
Our '3 Streets' campaign this week highlights the vital work of Wintercomfort.?
Wintercomfort has been at the forefront of support for homeless and vulnerably housed people in Cambridge since 1991. Open every day of the year, the charity offers advice and support to help people with lived experience of homelessness to move forward positively with their lives alongside drop-in support for rough sleepers including meals, showers, laundry services and clothing.
Services include training and education, counselling, drug and alcohol support, IT support and access, dedicated services for women including help for those with experience of domestic and sexual violence, migrant services, help to access employment and housing advice.
Wintercomfort also offers a broad range of sports and group activities to boost self-confidence and promote social inclusion.
Support is available to anyone who has been or is currently at risk of homelessness, and despite the charity’s reputation for work with rough sleepers, a significant proportion of people who access services are in accommodation of some kind.
Fundraising Manager Melody Brooker explains.
“To break the cycle of repeat homelessness, people need to be equipped with the life skills and confidence to build a new life. Our work to help people learn to budget, shop, cook and manage household bills for themselves once they move into accommodation is a key part of ensuring their long-term progress.”
领英推荐
Among the many training opportunities available at the charity, ‘Wintercomfort Cooks’ combines both life-skills training and prepares people for future employment. Working alongside Wintercomfort’s Catering Supervisor, participants are given one-to-one kitchen skills training and gain practical experience of working in a busy kitchen. The course also helps people to gain Level 2 Food Hygiene certification which is a requirement for working in a professional kitchen.
Employment and Volunteer Project Worker Eleanor Franks explained.
“Having secure employment is a key factor in preventing homelessness. It’s great to be able to provide a pathway into employment via this scheme and also our social enterprise business Overstream Clean and Garden.”
You can find Wintercomfort, along with over 100 other organisations, on the Street Support Cambridgeshire website, with detailed information about their services and opening times.
To find out more about the work of It Takes A City and our partners please contact [email protected]
?