31 Oxfordshire grassroots charities are set to benefit from the latest round of funding from Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF). £250,000 has been distributed from OCF’s Living Essentials Fund that makes grants to grassroots charitable organisations. Their tireless work is helping the most disadvantaged in our county who are struggling to afford the basics for living a stable and safe life.
Now in its second year of funding, The Living Essentials Fund supports charitable organisations that are helping people with unaffordable essentials such as housing, food and warmth as well as debt advice. Demand for advice and emergency support continues to surge in the county with groups telling us their services are needed more than ever. Funding is supporting residents over the winter months who are struggling to provide the essentials for themselves and their families.
Abingdon Food Bank were awarded a grant of £10,000 to refurbish their facilities and make their space more practical for clients. They told us that coming to a food bank is difficult for many people and it’s important they be welcomed and treated with dignity. The work will include creating a new client waiting area, better food storage facilities, a client toilet and a room for confidential advice with a trained advisor such as Citizens Advice. The reception area will also be relocated to provide a indoor area for clients to wait for their food and have a hot drink. Philip, the Foodbank Manager said: “The aim is that people who come to us should feel more welcome and comfortable and be able to discuss their situation in a fully confidential space and receive support to overcome the obstacles they face.”
Another grantee was Rose Hill and Donnington Advice Centre. They received a grant of £10,000 to support their work providing expert advice on debt, benefits and housing to the citizens of the Rose Hill estate and surrounding areas. The area is amongst the 20% most deprived areas in England and the majority of the advice centre clients are of working age, many of whom are in work but in low paid employment. Funding will enable increased provision of their debt and benefit adviser service, allowing them to support a greater number of people. The centre’s manager said: “Our work will have a lasting impact on their household budgets, stopping them slipping into greater need and building financial stability.”
A grant of £9,200 was awarded to The Porch, based in Oxford, who provide a day care provision for people experiencing homelessness and vulnerably housed adults. The grant will help to cover the energy costs for The Porch community café which last year provided 19,922 freshly cooked meals to their vulnerable members. In addition funding will also support The Porch’s Moving Forwards Programme. Members have the opportunity to develop catering and food preparation skills at The Porch Community Café and horticulture skills at their allotments. The Programme also helps members to manage a tenancy, apply for work, personal budgeting and debt management. Members have gone on to full-time employment with local businesses and colleges in Oxford as a result.
Find out more about all of the charitable organisations that received a Living Essentials grant.
OCF was able to bring together funding from a wide range of trusts, foundations and institutions, businesses, individuals and statutory organisations. By convening multiple donors who have chosen to give collectively, we have been able to make an even bigger difference together than they would be able to on their own. We are grateful to the following for their generosity in supporting this fund:
- All Souls College
- AsNew Upholstery
- Barnsbury Charitable Trust
- Brown Family Fund
- Christopher Laing Foundation
- Mills & Reeve Charitable Trust
- Mulberry Trust
- New College
- Oxfordshire County Council (Housing Support Fund)
- Randal Charitable Foundation
- Saunders Family Fund
- Sir George Earle Fund
- St Michael’s and All Saints’ Charities
Plus other donors and funders who prefer to remain anonymous