Latest News

Posted on 20 December 2019

Bury Council award Gateway the contract to support people facing homelessness over Christmas

Gateway, part of The Calico Group, has been awarded the contract to extend their existing services to Bury, meaning our homelessness services can help more people than ever this Christmas.

Homelessness can impact anyone, so Gateway’s ‘Bury Floating Support’ is designed to offer a variety of free services to help those affected by, or even threatened with, finding themselves on the streets over the festive period and beyond.

The service provides critical advice and assistance on issues that could impact someone’s ability to maintain or find a tenancy, or risk being homeless in the cold of winter.

The areas of support include accessing legal advice on tenancy disputes, applying for available benefits, helping victims of domestic abuse, giving people access to training and education to improve their employability, as well as basic home and finance management advice.

Despite only being operational for three months, 259 people have used our Bury Floating Support services of which 96% have experienced positive outcomes. That’s 230 people who may have found themselves forced to live on the streets without intervention and assistance.

A spokesperson from Bury Council said, “Preventing homelessness and supporting individuals and families is a high priority for Bury Council. The festive period is a time where many are celebrating, however there are others who are struggling with their housing and daily living.   The authority has committed itself to invest in services like Gateway, to address causes of homelessness and deliver high quality support to the most vulnerable in our community. Gateway provides that helping hand to support these households so that their housing and quality of life can be improved for the better”.

 

As a not-for-profit organisation, this new contract extends our ability to achieve social profit rather than financial gain. Jacob Harosh, Gateway’s Floating Support Coordinator, said “Christmas can be a very difficult time of year for those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, with everyone else around them seen to be celebrating with loved ones in the comfort of their own home. Our team has done a fantastic job in reaching out to some of the most vulnerable individuals in Bury, supporting them to ensure that they have somewhere safe and warm to be this winter. We are also working hard to connect people with some of the other excellent services, agencies and charities in Bury to try and reduce the amount of isolation this Christmas.”

 

For details on how wecould help you or someone you know in and around Bury facing or experiencing homelessness this Christmas, email buryfloatingsupport@calico.org.uk or call 0161 447 8821

Get In Touch

For all general and customer enquiries, please contact us today

Contact
Translate »