Like many young mums across the country this week, Lizzie has been counting down to the big day when her son starts school for the first time.  A little bit nervous and anxious too, Lizzie is also feeling very proud that she has reached this milestone event with her son.

Her journey to the school gate has not been smooth.  In her words she was a “rebellious teenaged run-away” and when she became a mum at 16, homeless and in need of support she struggled to cope with the huge responsibility of bringing up her son.  Lizzie was referred to Yates Court Supported Housing, where she was given a safe place to live with her son and the support she needed.

Lizzie has left the security of Yates Court to set-up a new home nearby for her young family.  Looking back she says,

“The stability and support I was given by the team has helped me build my confidence and equip me with the skills to live independently.”

Lizzie is now looking forward to the future and is making positive plans to enjoy family life.  Even if this week milestone event is tearful for Lizzie, she will be delighted to see her son making the first steps to his future. 
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If you would like to support our work at The Whitechapel Centre so that we can continue to support people like Lizzie click here.

Bogdan is from Poland and has lived and worked in Liverpool for the last two years. When his friends decided to return to Poland Bogdan could no longer afford the rent on their shared house and he found himself homeless.

On his first night on the street Bogdan was found by our Street Outreach Team who encouraged him to visit our centre for a hot shower, fresh clothes and a warm meal. Bogdan was invited to stay overnight at Labre House, The Whitechapel Centre’s Overnight Rough Sleeper Hub.

Bogdan was worried he had lost his job as he had missed a few shifts during the week. Our Multi Lingual Resettlement worker, Anna, speaks Polish and was quickly able to contact Bogdan’s employer and explain the situation. Bogdan was a valued worker and his employer was so understanding he was given a week off to sort out his problems.  Anna supported Bogdan to register with a GP and receive medication for his anxiety. She helped him join a Credit Union for his wages to be paid in to as he had been unable to open a UK bank account.

Bogdan’s mental health has improved and he is now back at work. He is still in temporary accommodation, but it is hoped that with support he can soon move to an affordable place to live. Anna has helped him update his CV and enrolled him on a fork-lift driving course and an ESOL course to improve his English.

Bogdan is grateful that he could talk over his problems in his own language and feels he has regained control over his situation.  Anna will continue to support him through the whole resettlement process, offering guidance and advice along the way, to help him settle back into a permanent home of his own.

We are currently recruiting to our Multi Lingual Resettlement team – if you would like to help people like Bogdan find out more here: www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/current-vacancies 

More than 120 people were prevented from sleeping on the streets in June thanks to the support they received from The Whitechapel Centre.

During one of the hottest months of the year, the council-funded Street Outreach Team came into contact with 123 new people who were at risk of sleeping rough but through the support offered by the team, they were diverted from spending a single night on the streets.

In addition, of the 85 people who were already sleeping rough in Liverpool in June, 57 were supported away from the streets and into services including temporary accommodation, the Labre House Rough Sleeper Night Hub, reconnected with family of friends or were found other solutions.

The Street Outreach service is provided by The Whitechapel Centre and funded by Liverpool City Council. Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Lynnie Hinnigan, said the heatwave had brought with it a specific set of issues for the team:

“Because of the warm weather we have seen an increase in the number of people staying out and not returning to their accommodation or hostel place,” said Cllr Hinnigan. “The prolonged heatwave has caused concern for those sleeping rough and our teams have been in daily contact with them to provide water and sun cream to prevent them from being admitted to hospital.”

She added: “The majority of people who become homeless never spend a night sleeping rough. Where possible we support people into the right solution on the first day we come into contact with them.”

Cllr Hinnigan said: “We know that rough sleeping... are real causes for concern for people in our city, which is why we are doing all we can to provide people with the help they need to get off the streets and to turn their lives around.”

“Our Always Room Inside campaign means that no-one needs to spend time on the street. At Labre House there is enough room for anyone who needs a place to stay. They can also get food and access to support services that can keep them off the streets for good. However, we can only do this if people are willing to engage with us in the first place. The best way to help anyone who is sleeping rough or is begging on the streets is to refer them to our services so we can begin to work with them.”

​If you have concerns about someone sleeping rough on the streets of Liverpool, you can call the Always Room Inside 24 hour  helpline: 0300 123 2041​

​Danny is getting back into the game thanks to his love of football.
 
After spending a year sofa-surfing Danny had exhausted the goodwill of his small circle of family and friends. As life got harder for Danny, losing his job and being unable to get along with his family, he had run out of options, he felt he had nowhere to go and no one to ask for help.  
 
It is hard to image in the heat of this year’s fabulous summer that only a few months ago the temperatures outside were so low that Met Office issued a red weather warning. As the “Beast from the East” brought record low temperatures in February, Danny spent a couple of dangerously cold and wet nights sleeping on the streets. Luckily, he looked for help in St John’s Shopping Centre One Stop Advice Shop, and was advised to visit The Whitechapel Centre. Danny was able to get a hot shower, fresh clothes and a warm meal before spending the night in Labre House, The Whitechapel Centre’s overnight shelter for anyone rough sleeping in Liverpool.  
 
Danny has always been a massive fan of football since he was young; a life-long supporter of Liverpool FC, and until recently playing football “like a religion” every day. It wasn’t long after attending the centre that Danny join The Whitechapel Centre's weekly football training sessions, and then started playing in our official team, taking part in the monthly Spirit of Merseyside football tournaments.

Through football he has made new friends, gained confidence, and built a regular routine back into his life. Danny has been temporarily housed in Labre House until, with the support of The Whitechapel Centre, he finds more permanent accommodation. We have helped Danny apply for jobs and he has just secured a job at a local sports venue refereeing and leading football training sessions. Danny believes that his love for football has kept him going over the past few months:  
 
“Even when times go bad you got to keep believing, got to stay strong.”
 
Danny is looking forward to the future, and is loving playing and watching football again. 
 
If you would like to help us continue our work with people like Danny, find out how you can help here. 

Brendan Burris, Donated Goods and Administrative  Volunteer



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Brendan Burris, age 23, Administrative and Donated Goods Volunteer provides a essential sorting service to help us make the most of the generous donations that are received daily at The Whitechapel Centre, and helps out with general administrative duties. 

My day starts with …….
I am naturally an early riser normally awake at 5 am to eat breakfast, exercise, catch-up on the day’s news, and to get ready for my day. I am much more of a morning person, partly because of having to get up early to attend school, and for previous jobs.

I’m responsible for ……..
I usually work two days a week for The Whitechapel Centre. On one of the days, I am responsible for managing the inflow of donations that people bring to the Centre. I organised those donations into categories, and arrange for either their safe storage or distribution of items to our service users. While volunteering in the admin office, I do whatever is needed, whether that is filing, photocopying or inputting data. I try to do whatever I can.

I got the job …..
I wanted to give back to the community; I see it as somewhat of a responsibility that we have as citizens to work together to make the environment around us as peaceful as possible. Volunteering at The Whitechapel Centre is a great opportunity to give back to those around us that truly need our help .  The Pre-volunteer course really opened my eyes to the scope of the work that The Whitechapel Centre does as an organisatio. My awareness before I started was focused solely on the centre on Langsdale Street; the course made me realise the many services that The Whitechapel Centre provides.

My most memorable moment……
The new people I have met, whether volunteers or service users, and the connections I have made - these are definitely some of the most memorable moments I have had.

The best part of my job…..
It is amazing to be able to help service users and see the appreciation they have for the staff and volunteers. The best time of the year has to be Christmas when huge amounts of donations come in and we are kept real busy!

I am grateful for…..
Being fortunate enough that I can give back my time and energy towards volunteering.

After work I enjoy…..
A good book,  I enjoy reading books, mostly non-fiction and historical, playing and watching different sports and when time allows, travelling and exploring new places and cities. 

If you are inspired by Brendan's story, and would like to find out more about volunteering at The Whitechapel Centre click on the link below to find out more about the skills we’re looking for and the current volunteer vacancies: 

www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/volunteer-with-us.html

If you would like to donate items please go to our website to find out what can be donated and where you can donate these items: 

www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/donate-goods.html