Introducing our new Flexible 3 Year Grant holders
Find out how our newest grant-holders are supporting communities in Hammersmith.
Cuts in public funding, coupled with falling donations and an increase in demand, has hit local charities hard. According to NCVO, 85% of charities believe that this winter will be as tough, or even tougher, than the last, and one in five believe they won’t be able to meet the increase in demand.
HUC’s Flexible 3 Year Grants are designed to help organisations address demand and plan for the future. Our newest grant holders are The Sulgrave Youth Club, The Upper Room and the Hammersmith branch of Crosslight Advice. They’ve all been awarded £45,000, which will be split over three years.
The three charities all work to support vulnerable people within Hammersmith and the surrounding areas.
Crosslight Advice, Hammersmith branch
The cost-of-living crisis has affected people across society, but for those who were already struggling, the impact has been devastating. Crosslight Advice provides personalised advice on debt, benefits and housing. It also helps people to build financial resilience through its free Money Course.
Many of the Hammersmith branch’s clients have been pushed into debt to meet basic needs, which has then caused further issues. Case Manager Sara Thomas shares, “Debt is the third most important cause of poverty in the UK. 34% of our clients have cut down or gone without heating; 65% have a problem in at least one other area of their life, such as health, employment or housing; and 45% have cut down or gone without food.”
The branch is using its grant to help with staffing costs.
Crosslight Advice is always keen to hear from people who are interested in volunteering. You can find out more here.
The Sulgrave Youth Club
When families find it difficult to meet basic needs, there is little money spare to spend on children’s activities. Nick Sazeides, Club Manager at The Sulgrave Youth Club, shares, “Without access to affordable activities outside of school, children and young people can become bored, frustrated and isolated at home, or at risk of negative peer pressure and potential anti-social behaviour if out on the streets.”
The Sulgrave Youth Club runs free after school and evening clubs for children and young people in Shepherds Bush, along with a range of low-cost activities, such as drama, taekwondo, maths & English, and roller skating. More than 650 children and young people attend every year and new members are always welcome.
Nick says, “HUC’s grant will give us a measure of financial certainty while we explore how we can maintain and extend our range of services, reach and connect further into the community, fulfil our vision to ‘remove the limits to young people’s lives’, and ensure we have a viable future as a stronger and more resilient organisation as we reach our 100th year in 2026.”
The Upper Room
The Upper Room supports socially disadvantaged people, including those who are homeless, have been in prison or are affected by poverty. It offers a range of services, from providing hot meals, clean clothes and toiletries, to giving advice on benefits and finding a job. The charity’s UR4Driving project provides free driving lessons to ex-offenders to help them avoid being drawn back into crime. Participants also benefit from voluntary work, group workshops and informal mentoring from people with lived experience of the prison system.
HUC’s grant will help to support the charity’s core work, and also support the role out of new services. The Upper Room’s CEO Iain Cooper explains, “This grant will enable us to embed the good work we have done so far in establishing health-focused programmes addressing health inequalities, such as offering cancer screening for homeless people and working with high-risk groups to prevent suicide. We have been running a pilot suicide-prevention programme specifically targeted at middle-aged Polish men, which has proven a great success, and which we intend to run again and build in scope.”
Apply for a grant from Hammersmith United Charities
Our Flexible 3 Year Grants will return next year. While this programme focuses on organisations that we already work with, we also offer Community Grants, which are open to other charities working in Hammersmith.