We’ve had amazing support from the community since that 1st day we opened the Community Hub on Wilbraham Road, Chorlton on 7th July 2017.
We didn’t really have a plan other than opening the charity shop to sustain the work ROC were already doing.
But more specifically ROC was started as we wanted to be able to support and help get people off the streets.
We felt that we needed to offer something more than a meal after we’d spent many years handing out meals to people on the streets and seeing the same faces every week, we knew we couldn’t carry on just giving out food as it wasn’t helping people to make positive steps to move on and plenty of groups were already feeding those on the streets in Manchester.
Reach Out to the Community was set up to help people who are experiencing homelessness, vulnerably housed and those in food poverty.
It’s been hard and frustrating at times but worth it when we see people who have made positive steps.
We have worked really hard to build trust with people who are let down over and over. We do the work we say we are doing and we keep on evolving.
The Hub is more than just a charity shop, people sleeping rough are able to call in for food, drinks, clothes we do an assessment and referrals to the appropriate services.
We can accompany them to appointments, we can help with setting up Universal Credit Claims & the hub can be used as a care of address.
We also provide food parcels by referrals and we work with many Charities, Organisations & Statutory services.
Over the last two years we’ve attended many meetings about homelessness which has been instrumental in getting us where we are today.
We’ve done joint outreach with Riverside Uk, CGL and regularly with Manchester City Councils Rough Sleepers Team.
We’ve helped people into accommodation and we’ve also prevented some from being evicted.
Not everything that is donated to the Hub is sold, some items are saved for people in homeless accommodation or those starting out in their new tenancy.
We regularly work with Chorlton Traders, GMP, Manchester City Council ( special mention to Pete Whiteley our neighbourhood officer for Chorlton) and all the local councillors who have been very supportive.
We are a member of Chorlton Traders, Coalition Of Relief, Manchester Homelessness Partnership, Big Change MCR and you can find us on Street Support.
All this is not possible without all our dedicated volunteers who give up their free time.
Some of our volunteers have been people that we’ve helped in the past and volunteer so they can help others.
Also to everyone who donates to the charity, everyone who likes & shares posts, those wonderful people who fundraise for us and everyone who supports the work that we do.
