Homelessness

Music for a Winter Afternoon December 3rd

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Highgate Methodist Church invite you to a charity fundraising concert at their Hall, in aid of the homeless of Calderdale.

‘Music for a Winter Afternoon’

Saturday, 3rd December 2022 at 2.00pm

With local performers including the church’s very own High Fiver choir, this promises to be a brilliant afternoon!

Headliners:
Hal Clarkson and the Forever Young Band
The Highgate High Fiver Singers
and guest soloist: Emily Taylor-Smith (Leeds Conservatoire)

Tickets available from Highgate Church, the Band and Singers; suggested
donation £3. Refreshments available.

All proceeds to Calderdale Smartmove — supporting the homeless and vulnerable across Calderdale

Highgate Methodist Church, Stretchgate Lane, Halifax, HX2 0EN

Grants of up to £5,000 to eligible Voluntary Sector organisations 

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Grants of up to £5,000 to eligible Voluntary Sector organisations who are looking to trial a new idea or project or continue existing projects especially around

1) homelessness and housing
2) poverty and disadvantage
3) mental health and wellbeing
4) community cohesion.

Visit https://cffc.co.uk/general-grants-round-2022-2/ for full information and application criteria

Application Deadline: 31st October 2022

VSI Alliance Winter Directory of support services 2021/22

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This directory is full of information about the diverse range of help and services available from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector that can support you to have a safe, supported Winter.

Find help on:

  • Mental Health
  • Physical Health
  • VSI Volunteer Hub
  • Loneliness
  • Food Support
  • Specialist Support

The directory includes places where you can find food and resources support as well.

Hard copies will also be available in January 2022.

General Grants from CFFC – second round

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The fund is made up of CFFC funds and the Full Circle Fund

Full info and deadlines: https://cffc.co.uk/general-grants-round-2020-21/

With regard to General Grant applications, CFFC will prioritise applications which contribute to the Foundation’s strategic priorities, these are:

For General Grant applications, CFFC will prioritise applications which contribute to the Foundation’s strategic priorities, these are:

  • Homelessness and Housing
  • Poverty and Disadvantage
  • Mental Health and wellbeing
  • Community Cohesion.

Grant applicants will be expected to show how their proposals will contribute to these priorities.

CFFC is especially interested to understand how proposals will help the communities of Calderdale recover form Covid and keep Covid safe. We will be looking for information about this in your application and will score higher those applications which make this clear.

You can contact the Grants Team for further information and advice on 01422 349700 grants@cffc.co.uk

Who can apply?

  • Constituted voluntary, community and faith groups run for and by local people (Note: Individuals cannot apply)
  • Registered charities and groups with charitable purposes working in Calderdale, (including Charitable Incorporated Organisations, IPS etc)
  • Community Interest Companies (CICs) who do not, and cannot, pay dividends (see below for further criteria for CiCs and Social Enterprises)
  • Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) whose Governance documents include a clear community benefit clause, open membership and an asset lock
  • Schools (except private, fee charging schools), whether part of the Local Authority or direct funded in some way, to apply for grants for activities which are clearly extra-curricular. NB Schools must be able to provide the documentation required.

 

 

Boosting support for rough sleepers and homeless people in Calderdale

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Read full post on Calderdale Council News
Rough sleeper

Calderdale Council’s new three-year strategy to end rough sleeping, prevent homelessness and support people in need will be discussed at its Cabinet meeting on Monday 7 June.

 

The Council understands the impact that rough sleeping and homelessness can have on individuals, families and communities. It does all it can, working with local partner organisations, to offer people hope and a stronger future through support, advice and accommodation.

The Calderdale Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2021 – 2024 builds on the continued work across the borough and aims to:

  • Prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.
  • Improve and expand the help available when people become homeless or are living a street-based lifestyle.
  • Continue to develop effective support for people to move on from homelessness or rough sleeping and rebuild their lives.

From 2016, the number of people rough sleeping in Calderdale started to increase, and there was a significant rise in the number of people street begging in Calderdale’s larger towns in winter 2017/18.

If you believe you are at risk of rough sleeping or homelessness, or are concerned about someone else, please visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/homeless

What should I do if I am concerned about someone?

To report a concern or seek help for someone you think is sleeping rough:

  • Visit the: Street Link website.
  • Get in touch with Street Reach (24 hours a day).
  • If the person is unwell or distressed call 999.

Do not put yourself in danger or approach someone acting strangely, even to help.

Read full post on Calderdale Council News

CFFC launches Local Care Direct Health & Wellbeing Fund for Calderdale residents

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Mother and Daughter – image courtesy of Pixability

Local residents to benefit from projects supporting their health and wellbeing.

The Community Foundation for Calderdale (CFFC) have partnered with Local Care Direct to support people with their health and wellbeing. With grants of up to £5,000 available to not for profit organisations, the new fund created by Local Care Direct aims to make a real difference in these difficult times.

They are particularly interested in projects supporting residents in Calderdale to improve their health and wellbeing in the following key areas:

  1. Reducing Health Inequalities
  2. Mental Health
  3. Homelessness
  4. Tackling Isolation
  5. Dementia

Application deadline is 28th April 2021. For more details, eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit https://cffc.co.uk/local-care-direct-health-wellbeing-fund/

Steve Duncan, CEO of the Community Foundation for Calderdale explained, “the grants of up to £5,000 are available to organisations who are running projects to reduce health inequalities, help mental health, reduce homelessness, and tackle isolation and dementia for local residents.”

“We do not yet know the full impact of COVID 19 but we have already seen rises in incidences of domestic abuse, changes in employment impacting on deprivation and homelessness, and mental health being negatively affected for many people. Reducing health inequalities remains a challenge in Calderdale.”

Helen Carr, CEO of Local Care Direct, highlighted that they are delighted to be in a position to provide support, particularly during a pandemic when support is severely needed. When setting up the fund, she emphasised the need “to create real opportunities that would make a difference in the communities in which we live and serve. As a social enterprise it is important to us to partner with organisations with in-depth knowledge of our local area, charities and voluntary groups, to ensure the support available has the maximum impact. We’re excited to begin this process and are looking forward to seeing the applications.”

Constituted voluntary, community and faith groups, registered charities and groups and CICs who do not pay dividends can apply for a grant. The deadline for applications is 28th April 2021. For more details about the eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit https://cffc.co.uk/local-care-direct-health-wellbeing-fund/

 

World Homeless Week 7-14 October

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World Homeless Week this year is 7-14 October 2018 and includes World Homeless Day on Wednesday 10 October.

The concept of ‘World Homeless Day‘ emerged from online discussions between people working to respond to homelessness from various parts of the world.

The Inaugural World Homeless Day was marked on the 10 October 2010.

Since its founding, World Homeless Day has been observed on every continent except Antarctica, in several dozen countries.

Use of the idea of ‘World Homeless Day’ is open for all to use… anywhere in the world.

Purpose

The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an ‘international day’ provides.

What can we do?

Calderdale Council’s Empty Homes Strategy can be found on the Council website here. It describes how empty homes are a wasted resource as they could be used to house homeless or vulnerably housed. Also they can attract vandalism etc. or just fall into disrepair because of lack of use.

The Council is currently carrying out an Empty Homes Review.

In support of the government’s national initiative to tackle the shortfall in housing, Calderdale Council is currently undertaking a review of all empty homes in the area that are currently listed as long term empty premises. The review is being undertaken in conjunction with a company called Capacitygrid.

If your property is currently classified as empty, then Capacitygrid may contact you to confirm whether the property is still vacant. If you receive correspondence from Capacitygrid regarding your property, please would you update the property records for your address. You will need the information provided on the letter sent to you to do this.

To try to reduce the possibility of empty homes, Social Housing groups generally have a clause in the tenancy agreement that requires that they be informed in writing if the property is expected to be vacant for more than 28 days.