For one week only, people have the chance to make a massive difference to young homeless families in Dorset.
One donation. Double the difference.
From midday 3rd to midday 10th of December, every donation made to Home-Start Wessex through The Big Give Christmas Challenge will be doubled through match funding. £25 becomes £50. Individual generosity goes twice as far. Home Start Wessex can make double the impact supporting some of the most vulnerable young children in our community.
This present can’t be wrapped with a bow, but it’s the best gift you can give to a local family.
Family support charity Home-Start Wessex offers friendship, practical support and emotional advice to parents in Dorset with at least one child under 5 when they are in crisis. Alongside running specialist support groups, one-to-one home support, and school readiness workshops, the charity runs two weekly support groups in temporary hostels, which house single mothers aged 18-25 and their children.
The money will be used to keep these weekly groups for homeless children and their mums open.
Every family at the shelter is struggling to cope with not having a stable home for their child. As well as being homeless, they are also managing complex issues such as mental health difficulties, post-natal depression, domestic violence, poverty and loneliness. These issues and a lack of confidence and self-esteem mean these families are isolated and not engaging with each other, community services or regular family groups. Children are missing out.
The charity’s expert staff bring the skills and experience to help these vulnerable young women build the resilience they need to cope with their challenges, find joy again with their children through fun activities and access essentials like food, milk and nappies. They empower them to be the best parent they can be and give their children the best start in life.
One of the mums the charity has already supported said, “The difference of having someone there to support me was life-changing.”
Make your life-changing pledge today at https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002TPVjBAAX and help the charity raise the £5,000 needed to reach their £10,000 target.
Everyone who donates during the Big Give Christmas Challenge week will be entered into a raffle to win a signed AFCB ball, thanks to the charity’s partnership with AFC Bournemouth. Home-Start Wessex was selected as one of AFC Bournemouth’s charity partners for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons after being nominated and voted for by supporters, Junior Cherries, AFC Business and club staff.
Kathy Fryatt-Banks, CEO of Home-Start Wessex, said, “For one week only, we can make double the difference to the young homeless families we support. With more people in crisis, more families becoming homeless and more single parents than ever before, our services are more vital than ever.
We need extra funding to keep the weekly group on-site at a hostel for homeless children and their families. Every pound donated can make a life-changing difference. Because childhood can’t wait.”
Over the last year, the charity has transformed 1,682 lives, helping a record 501 families. Their reach covers the Purbecks, Swanage, Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport, the whole of the BCP Council area, including Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, across the borders of Hampshire and Wiltshire, going as far north as Cranborne and Fordingbridge and as far east as New Milton – a huge area with a population of over 650,000, including many pockets of high-level deprivation.
If you can commit to 2-3 hours each week to help as a family support volunteer, please contact [email protected].
