£50,000 boost for Hackney’s grassroots coronavirus response
11 local Hackney organisations have been awarded grants of up to £5,000 by Hackney Council to help them do even more to support the borough’s communities through the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of a £370,000 support package for local charities and community organisations in Hackney, the grants were administered through wave two of the London Community Response (LCR), which is supporting the grassroots response to the coronavirus crisis across the capital.
The support package particularly targets small, volunteer-led, grass-roots organisations, including some of the more recently formed mutual aid groups, who know what is needed on the ground in their communities. Of the 11 organisations funded, eight had an annual income of under £100,000.
One of the groups who will benefit from the funding is The Outrunners Charity, who work with young people and their families who are often facing multiple deprivations. The charity has been carrying out remote mentoring programmes for 32 young people across Hackney during the pandemic. They will use the grant funding to help those who are struggling to access their programmes as a result of the digital divide.
Tyler Williams-Green, Chief Executive of The Outrunners said: “The funding we received from Hackney Council will allow us to set up a digital library so we can loan laptops to families who are in need and allow the young people to flourish on our programmes without digital access being a problem.
We continue to be impressed by the resilience of our brilliant voluntary and community sector organisations, who have adapted rapidly to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in their communities, despite the significant financial challenges that they face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The small voluntary and community organisations who are working tirelessly to support the most vulnerable in our communities embody Hackney’s welcoming and inclusive spirit, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to support them. We are proud to be working with London Community Response to help them continue their vital work throughout the crisis and beyond.
A map of all organisations awarded through the fund can be found here.
Funded organisations
St John of Jerusalem Church (collaboration with Bridge The Gap - Families in Need): £4,927
Supporting Bridge the Gap - Families in need to provide a Community Digital Hub to support 28 young people from Hackney’s ethnically diverse communities and their families, who are experiencing the devastating effects of combined physical and digital isolation.
Chats Palace Ltd: £3,300
Supporting Hackney elders online by delivering a digital programme of social events backed-up with one-to-one support via phone, email and text message.
Christ Apostolic Church (Bethel) UK: £4,950
To provide Food and essentials for the homeless and the needy affected by the impact of COVID 19
Clapton Commons Community Organisation Ltd: £4,950
Clapton Commons was founded in 2013 by a group of neighbours with the shared aim of improving the lives of those in their local neighbourhood. This grant will fund the organisation’s new drop-in service, which will provide outreach activities to local people who are in most need and ensure they can access regular emergency food and energy supplies.
Morningside Residents Estate Committee: £4,700
To provide support to all residents, particularly at risk residents and families by storing, distributing food, cooked meals and items and offer a befriending service to at risk residents and ensure that they are getting enough food/support.
Shomrim Stamford Hill: £5,000
To provide food, basic necessities and assist with public safety in Stamford Hill.
St John the Evangelist Brownswood Park: £2,250
To support the soup kitchen, food and essentials in Brownswood Park and to support volunteers in delivering food and medication, to develop resources to support mental health.
St Paul’s Church, West Hackney: £4,466
Supporting the volunteer-led Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill West COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group to continue to provide immediate, grassroots support to the local community during the health crisis, and also to expand and increase its ability to serve people who are most in need.
Teen Action: £3,410
To deliver wellbeing support remotely to young people and provision of activity packs
The Outrunners: £5,000
This will fund a range of support for young people including weekly online health and wellbeing promoting fitness activities, online career mentoring for young people missing out on education and work opportunities, and weekly emergency support for families to tackle food poverty.
The SONShine Club: £4,825
To deliver a Home-gardening club to disadvantaged children.