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Showing gratitude ~ Food Bank, Housing & Support hasn't added a story.
I am currently 19 years old and the CEO of the organisation, Kerry has become an extremely close friend of mine through a number of reasons.
In 2016 I was homeless which threw many challenges at me. Each day had its own struggles and before I found out about Thanet's Families in need my worries was how would I keep warm at night and how I would get food and drink. What helped to keep me strong and to keep me going before I found the organisation was carrying on with my college course which at the time was painting and decorating, which was also something I enjoyed. Before I found the organisation I had very limited supplies and I realised that to be able to make being homeless I needed to find some help. So one day when I was at college I used there computers to search for organisations in Thanet which supports the homeless with supplies and food bank. The first organisation that came up was Thanet's Families in need so that was the one I went with. I gave the organisation a ring and explained briefly my situation and Kerry told me to come down to the community shop opposite Waitrose in Ramsgate. When I went to the community shop i explained my situation further as to how i became homeless which was because I had lived in Old Schools Lodge in Margate which is a hostel, however because the living conditions were too poor with mice running around I couldn't stay there.I also explained to her that I was on the council list on a band B and I was bidding on any properties that I was being offered but had only made it into the top 20. She asked me what supplies I needed and also sorted me out a food parcel. Before I left the community the shop I was also informed about the soup kitchen they offered 3 days in the autumn from 6pm till 7pm. I started to attend the soup kitchen on a regular basis. During soup kitchen I was offered a soup and bread, a main meal and pudding. As well as, a hot drink of tea or coffee and biscuits. Whilst being at soup kitchen it was a time i could talk to Kerry about any problems I was having and also how show could help to support me get a flat. During these times i could see that a special kind of bond was forming between me and Kerry, I think a lot of that came from the fact i was impressed by how much she put herself out for others and gave her time to help others when she has 4 children of her own to care for and a long term health condition. Kerry wrote an email to the council explaining I was vulnerable because of the people i was around however, not once did i turn to the drugs others was using around me. During the 3 months I was homeless I continued to bid on any properties that i was given to bid on and I made it into the top 10 after about 2 months. At one soup kitchen Kerry mentioned she had a homeless forum meeting in which she took my case to, tin attempt to push it forward. After the meeting i was offered a few more properties and I was now making it into the top 5 which i was over the moon about. A couple of weeks went by and I was still doing the same routine of sleeping rough, bidding on properties, attending college and attending the soup kitchen still regularly. Until one day I received the great news I had been offered a flat. I shared this news with Kerry and she was happy for me, she also explained how she could continue to help me by helping me get the bits I needed to be able to make my flat a home. The move into the flat was very quick has I had the viewing on Wednesday 26th October 2016 and was handed the keys on the Friday 28th. Kerry helped me to make the flat a home by providing me with all the essentials like;
- curtains
- bedding
- kitchen essentials (plates, bowls, knifes, forks, spoons, cups,saucepans, oven trays)
- towels
- and many other items.
This is the time that me and Kerry became very close friends and she has supported me through a lot ever since.
The other Charity which is extremely close to my heart is SANDS. This charity exists to support anyone that has been affected by the death of a baby and to improve the bereavement care that parents and families receive, as well as supporting researching into reducing the amount of infant deaths anad the causes of the deaths. They offer a 24 hour bereavement support line via; social media, email or phone for anyone who has lost a baby or anyone affected by the death of a baby. They also offer a number of remembrance events which gives parents and their families the opportunity to remember their baby and also a chance to share their story with others which have been through the same thing. They also offer information booklets which can help parents and their families to make decisions regarding things like funerals, post mortems, support which is available and just general information and guidance.
I have explained about SANDS charity as I lost my first child this week. Now in case your wondering why I am putting this in my story on a campaign which is raising money for Thanet's Families in need I'm about to explain. Kerry as well as running her organisation, looking after her own 4 children and having her long term health issues has supported me through every step of this journey. She has truly been amazing and has been like a mum to me.
I went for my twelve week scan to check everything was well with my baby however, this is when the first cloud came over and I was numb. I was told baby had Hydrops which meant there was water around the baby's skin and that baby also had club hands. As well as, being smaller than should be and certainly having a chromosome abnormality. After receiving this news they put me in a room with Kerry and a specialist came into talk to us. This is where I am lucky to have Kerry as I was too numb to speak but Kerry spoke for me asking all the I wanted to but couldn't. They then made me an appointment to see the fetal medicine specialist where i would have another scan and the fetal medicine specialist would talk though with me what the findings meant for baby. The next appointment came and I was anxious but I had time to think about what questions I had and had told these to Kerry so she could speak for me as I knew that once again I would be numb. During this next scan you could clearly see that baby had grown but unfortunately the amount of fluid around the baby had got worse. The specialist could now see a Cystic Hygroma on the back of baby's neck bottom of the head which is a cist filled with water. They had finished with the ultrasound and took me and Kerry into a side room and explained what this meant for baby's future. We was told that the Hydrops was now severe and there was not much chance of survival for baby. During this appointment I was offered a termination however, I did not have to make a decision there and then. So I went away and a thought about everything I had been told, discussed things with Kerry who has supported me through such a hard time. I then returned for a scan when I was 15 weeks and 4 days for a ultrasound. Unfortunately at this scan the news I never wanted to hear was given to me. Baby had no heartbeat, the ultrasound screen was turned off and i started to break. Me and Kerry was taken into a room and was explained to what would happen next. I was given a medication and sent home for it to work within 24 hours which would help bring on the labour. I went in on Wednesday 27th September and was given my own room to deliver the baby in away from the other women in Labour ward delivering healthy babies to make my experience just that little bit easier. I was given more medication to encourage the labour and encouraged to walk around the hospital to make it work faster. I was then given another dose of the same medication 3 hours later and by 3:15 pm I was in labour. Baby arrived at exactly 5 pm on the 27th September weighing just 15 grams however, alarms were raised and midwifes was concerned when the placenta didn't follow. They tried a couple of ways to get it out but by this time I had lost a fair amount of blood and I was exhausted so I was rushed through to theatre where they gave me a spinal anaesthetic to numb me from the waist down so they could remove the placenta. When I returned from theatre I was handed baby by Kerry and I was moved rooms into another separate but smaller room where there was a cold crib so I could place baby in there so she could spend the night with me. During this time I held the baby, I read her a note I had written her and a poem my friend had written her. I also read her a story and tucked her in.
Now my point to my to stories are especially the last one about losing my first baby is this, it was was a tough heartbreaking time and I had the most amazing, caring and loving support I could ask for and that came from one women, Kerry herself. She was there to offer me guidance and as much as I spent time with my baby so did she and I couldn't have asked of anymore of her during this heartbreaking time. She helped me create memories with the baby throughout the day, right from when baby was delivered to the moment we left her.
Now to finish the story about the baby I will reveal her name which is Logen-Lei and was born beautiful and ready to fly.
I have started this campaign to raise money specifically for the homeless people that Kerry supports to help her be able to build up the winter packs which are much needed by the homeless in her 6th winter campaign and to have the funds to start the soup kitchen up. This is my way of showing her my appreciation of all the help she has given me over the last year and for always being there for me
I have confirmed this with Kerry herself that any donations we do receive we will take 10% from each and donate that to the SANDS charity to help them with further research on reducing the number of baby deaths and for them to be able to continue offering bereavement support which is much needed for families affected b the loss of a baby at birth or in the womb.
Food Bank, Soup Kitchen and Rough Sleeper Assistance
August - October 2017 - Getting Prepared For Winter
Next month, as the darker, colder nights creep upon us, we will be once again serving nutritious meals from the community shop with the Autumn Soup Kitchen we run 3 evenings a week through till November when our Winter Soup Kitchen runs 4 evenings a week until the end of February 2018.
This proved to be a growing need last season and still spoken about by our service users of last season and even new service users who have heard of our all round assistance from those we have helped before and/or other organisations or agencies we network with or are aware of the services we provide.
- We provide 3 courses, soup, main meal and desert along with hot drinks, juice and biscuits.
- When first contact is made, we have rough sleeper packs providing the essentials such as layers of clothing,thermals, underwear, socks, flask, wind up torch, towel, hand warmers, emergency foil blankets, toiletries & wash kit and all weather jackets if needed which all goes into large traveller backpacks along with a sleeping bag.
- During the winter we find the guys need supplies replacing more often due to the weather so always keep a stock of those basics throughout the year.
- Advice, support and guidance is on hand at each session and of course every day via phone or walk in.
We liaise with housing at TDC, Porchlight, local police and PCSO's and any other agencies relevant to the client.
Even those in local emergency accommodation are living without even shared cooking facilities, making eating and budgeting extremely difficult
Clients are allowed use of our microwave during opening hours for meals and snacks we have donated or they manage to purchase, making eating a hot meal cheaper than takeaways and just that little bit healthier.
This is often mentioned by our service users, especially our guys who strictly budget each payment, counting every penny to make sure it lasts and provides them with the bare essentials to keep them going with eating and drinking out the biggest costs where they have nowhere to heat food.
We are fully insured and
hold the following;
~ Full public liability, employee and indemnity cover
~ Food business registered
~ Health and Hygeine Lelvel 2
~ Food and hygeine safety at work Level 2
~ Trained by the National Center For Domestic Violence (NCDV)
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Our government should be helping to prevent any further rise is homelessness and looking at sustainable options for our council's to essentially SAVE, not only public funds/tax payers money from both national and local budgets but also other valuable resources that are already affected by massive cuts to their sectors such as the NHS, the police, drug and alchol services, social services and other agencies that deal with the effects of homelessness and could be vital in the prevention of homelessness and domino effects leading to such hardship which in turn can cause mental health breakdowns, depression, anxiety, the large amount that turn to substance miss use..
Mental health services we assist are stretched with cuts to their services yet have heavier case loads than ever, especially the crisis team, with a sharp increase of clients needing support after hitting rock bottom with financial hardship.
The battle East Kent Mental Health Crisis team and us as referrers face when we have service users in need of that specialist emergency assistance is that if the they have no address then they are unable to carry out their visits to provide the community care daily through the crisis period.
We need government funded temporary accommodation solutions that
are far more cost effective than bed and breakfast for example,
costing around 4 - 5 times as much as local authority allowance per
person, per night/week/month than a fixed tenancy.
Funding for supported accommodation/hostels for those with
special needs, mental health poblems or that are vulnerable and need
help settling into the community.
The big challenge we have for rough sleepers is helping those
growing numbers of clients we help classed as 'intentionally
homeless' which has seen us see a good and have not been taught
how to manage this even if the client had the smallest amount
due to be paid when told they are to be evicted, such as with
one of our families with a disabled baby girl whose property was
being sold or if you cleared an over due balance before eviction
date, regardless, your council can label you as 'intentionally
homeless' due to our government legislation set in time for the
cuts adding to.the crisis, making it easier for councils to
refuse assistance, turning people away and within their
guidelines unless you are deemed a priority need due to
pregnancy or serious illness in which case you are granted
support with temporary accommodation but for a limited period.
We can't blame our local council however, when they are totally
restricted to run by government legislation.
With our government's legislation sweeping their own crisis
under the carpet, the steep rise of local and national homelessness
this last 12 - 18 months is above and beyond that of the previous
year which saw its sharpest rise in official homelessness in decades.
Join our #HouseOurHomeless Campaign.
One of our big concerns is the amount of single women homeless and rough sleeping along with the rise in males.
** We offer advocacy for those needing extra support through
their situation.
Look out for our leaflet later this week to share on, our
wishlist of needed items and more information to come on our
website including a new feature to help us help us those who
cannot reach us.
- We will have a 30 second form online to fill out to report
new sightings of rough sleepers in the next 24 hours.
** EDIT - Form is now live
To report rough sleeper sighting or if you are rough sleeping and need assistance, please click on the link below;
www.thanetfamiliesinneed.co.uk/Rough-Sleeper-Assistance-Form.html
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All new sightings will also be forwarded to the the managers of
housing options and the TDC community safety team aswell as Thanet's
Porchlight outreach worker we liaise with.
www.thanetfamiliesinneed.c o.uk/ Housing---Homelessness-Support.html
Preparing for our 6th winter which is already around the corner when we see less day light, changeable weather with night time temperatures starting to fall, we are bracing ourselves to be able to supply the demand and need of those needing this vital lifeline of support during one of the toughest situations in a person's life that no modern day government from the richest so called 'civilised' countries in the world should allow.
I can't tell you how much every contribution matters right now, with so many more people in hardship this summer, more than we have ever seen for the warmer months with a growing trend of more working poor coming to us for food bank.
To keep up this demand we need your help.
Words can't express how grateful we are for all your support so far, now serving the people of Thanet into our 6th year with this past summer, the busiest yet with such an unexpected rise in demand and referrals for food bank assistance which we are desperately running low on, with stocks going down so quick, easily emptying out store room in 2 days to be replenished and continue that cycle,the we are now trying to source more contributions from more local supermarkets to keep stocks maintained but also trying to source more nutritional, fresh food for our service users facing hardship and in preparation for the restarting of Autumn Soup kitchen, apart of our homelessness assistance, another huge area of need we are supporting which is, yet again, a growing demand that before the cold creeps back and rough sleepers need far more support, we are making preparation for.
6th Thanet Winter Warmth Annual Campaign
Winter is creeping right upon us and this is the time when those struggling financially are going to be restricted even more with fuel costs and knowing that many of the house's in Thanet especially in the private rental sector are not the best to say the least with retaining heat we are here to help ease the 'Food or Fuel' for our 6th Autumn/Winter Season,set to be the most challenging in generations for many families with more than 2 children and those paying things like bedroom tax out of their minimal budget especially, not to mention price increases of late.
We will be getting this year's campaign going slightly earlier as we expect to see a rise in numbers of people needing this assistance, alongside the trend we have seen through the summer months this year of unexpected growth in demand for food bank assistance, mostly due to the new benefit cap placed on families with 2 or more children, the implementation of Universal Credits, higher rents, higher fuel bills and a rise in the cost of living.
We are seeing the elderly, older generations and disabled worse off than ever, the most vulnerable people at this time of year alongside our Thanet homeless rough sleepers.
If you or someone you know need extra bedding, blankets, throws, curtains, jackets, clothing or anything that can help in some way, don't be proud, PLEASE get in touch via our donation request form on the website; www.thanetfamiliesinneed.co.uk
Food or Fuel in Thanet? ....Food and Fuel Winter Warmth Thanet 2017!
For the last year or so, when funds allow and only in cases of absolute dyer need, we have helped service users on prepayment meters who would of otherwise has lost all their frozen goods, health hazards for those less able and with children and of course no hot water or heating.
We provide enough credit on the gas and/or electric key/card to place the meters £1 over the emergency allowance so between £6 and £10 on each depending on the emergency allowance set by the provider which will repay the emergency supply used, enabling the emergency supply to be re-credited.
On average (at present) we have around 8 - 10 cases a day applying for food, clothing, essential living items and the possibility of help with topping up the prepayment meters.
As we are non funded at present, the majority of the requests for fuel assistance are turned down which is ever so hard especially as these pleas become more desperate as the darker, colder nights draw in and we would love to be able to assist more people with vital fuel credit that are in genuine hardship through the colder months.
- We will need a separate campaign for this year's Thanet Winter Warmth campaign, keeping our £2500 quarterly target we need to hit at a rate of at least £200 - £300 per week to sustain our basic costs.
- £200 per week is payable every Monday to our landlords for rent for our community shop, food bank and garage where we store furniture for those who have been through hardship going into accommodation.
- This is before bills, admin fees, phone, internet, van transportation costs for our large donations collected and donated out throughout the week costing a minimum of £10 a time, yet still a huge reduced rate and of course food bank stock and rough sleeper supplies we have always kept refilling stock when needed.
This most important campaign, essentially the funds that are keeping us open is behind schedule and needing to be pushed as we go back into the red with everything just about up to date but with new costs totalling up every day.and growing needs we always aim to meet, in keeping with our nickname given to us by a KCC scheme commissioner who met with me on behalf of Paul Carter OBE, leader of KCC regarding serious complaints and an unbelievable service for Thanet residents in genuine need having to wait 2 - 3 weeks for a reply for a food parcel from the multi million pound scheme (£2.8 million) while we process and validate 95% claims within 24 hours, non funded
As the work load grows, we are looking forward to building our team to help with the running the shop, provide the walk in assistance and support, outreach, admin/marketing, drivers for deliveries, collections and outreach ect ect..
We are keen to bring together a passionate, trustworthy, creative fundraising events team to help take some of the pressure off our expectant committee member.
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If this interests you then please email thanet.families.in.need@gmail.com for more information
If you would like to help in your spare time from home then why not run your own fundraising page which can be ran as an individual using a campaign already running off our platform on this site or teams of online fundraisers which will be connected to our organisation's admin and community panels, making your individual or team page attached to the organisation's platform but with you in control of your very own campaign which you can name and promote in your words pending approval from our admin team, on hand to assist if needed
We have new roles that we are looking to filling by the end of September, helping make a difference in the community including a possible 2 new positions on our board of committee .
We have positions suitable for all abilities, always adaptable to your needs, helping you to enjoy your time as a volunteer on our team, an ever so rewarding job when we see the relief on service users faces after being given the support they had been looking for.
Follow our updates for our recruitment drive this weekend
K eep an eye out for updateshttps://fundrazr.com/campaigns/e1Gjnc/register
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