THE FIGHT against homelessness and hunger has received a boost thanks to a windfall given to a Rugby charity.
Hope 4 has received a £5,000 grant from Warwickshire County Council (WCC) to run ‘healthy eating on a budget’ sessions for people dealing with food poverty and insecure housing over the next year.
The charity, which runs the town’s day centre, foodbank and winter shelter, will run the course as part of its pre- and post-tenancy support programme.
The funding was allocated after a study – the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) – identified access to healthy food, support for families’ financial planning, and homelessness as key issues for the town.
WCC health and wellbeing spokesman Coun Les Caborn said: “We want to tackle the root causes of homelessness and give people skills to build their resilience and minimise their risk of becoming homeless in the future.
“The funding that has been given to this project will help people on three fronts by teaching healthy eating and budgeting skills as well as providing practical assistance to help those who are currently homeless get back on their feet.
“I also want to draw attention to the JSNA. Without local members of the community taking the time to participate in the survey and let us know what is needed in their area, it would be much more difficult for us to know where this funding should be focused.
“The JSNA is still going on, and I would really encourage everybody to take five minutes to fill it out and help us make sure services are directed where they are needed most.”
Visit www.bit.ly/JSNAResidents to provide information about the health and social needs of your area.
Visit www.hope4.me.uk for more about Hope 4.
