"I thought if Spires could be bothered with me, maybe I should be bothered with me too."

The above quote is from a service user who has begun to accept our help and take steps towards rebuilding her life.

Rough sleepers and many of the vulnerable women we work are being particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 crisis as they struggle to maintain their health at the best of times; whilst some have been give hotel accommodation, there are many still on the streets and remain closed. Domestic violence is on the rise and our service remains open to give assistance in an emergency. Not everyone has access to a phone that is in credit and charged so a staff presence at our centre is essential.

Whilst we are operating a reduced Mon-Fri service, we are still providing breakfast, which we now served outside, and offer a change of clothes and toilet facilities where needed. We continue to make referrals for housing and health services as appropriate and we are providing emergency food parcels to those people presenting in the greatest need.

We have stopped our "social" groups that are aimed at tackling isolation and loneliness, but the staff team are keeping in regular contact, by phone, with the individuals most at risk . Staff continue to assess need, albeit at appropriate social distance and provide support. A Freephone telephone number has been set up so that calls to our service can be redirected to staff working at home to make contact easier for people.

Spires is well known for the work we do with vulnerable women and we have already supported some women out of violent relationships that have got worse over the lockdown period.

Tenancy issues, for those out of work or on reduced incomes, are likely to rise due to non payment of rent. Whilst people cannot be evicted due to arrears at the moment, they still need advice and guidance around budgeting on a reduced income and support about how to manage their debts going forward.

Funds from this JustGiving campaign will go towards food parcels and small grants for individuals experiencing financial distress during this time of crisis and to help maintain services as some established funding streams are uncertain at the moment.