South Tyneside youth homeless charity KEY Project has been awarded a £11,700 Hope Beyond grant from Allchurches Trust to improve the wellbeing and resilience of vulnerable young people impacted by Covid-19.
Allchurches Trust is one of the UK’s largest grant-making charities and awarded more than £23 million to churches, charities and communities in 2020. Its funds come from its ownership of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group.
The Hope Beyond grants programme aims to enable churches and Christian charities to meet changing needs within their communities, helping them and the communities they support to adapt to the challenges and opportunities presented by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The new funding will go towards delivering a range of wellbeing activities to the young people KEY supports, to grow their resilience and address issues such as isolation and loneliness, exacerbated by the pandemic, as well as promoting positive emotional and mental health and wellbeing plus advocate for young people should they need to access more specialist therapeutic help.
Ross Allen, Executive Lead at KEY, said:
“Young people have dealt with a lot this year. They’ve suffered a disrupted education, isolation from support networks, a shrinking jobs market, worries about their own health and an increasing fear of the future, all of which have taken a devastating toll on their mental health and wellbeing, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds who were facing a real lack of opportunities even before the pandemic started.”
“During the pandemic, our team, particularly within our supported accommodation properties, has had to deal with an increased incidence of challenging behaviour linked to deteriorating mental health. Following a successful pilot of wellbeing activities during lockdown, this grant will not only increase our capacity to deliver early intervention support to achieve positive mental health outcomes and personal wellbeing for young people affected by the pandemic but also, mitigate its likely ongoing future impact too. Research shows early intervention increases the likelihood of better life outcomes.”
Andrew Bass, Grants Officer for Allchurches Trust, said:
“We’re delighted that our funding can help KEY to deliver vital mental health and wellbeing support for vulnerable young people who have been suffering as a result of the pandemic.
“We are only now seeing the full impact that Covid-19 has had on young people’s wellbeing, and as we emerge from lockdown this brings with it a whole new set of challenges and the need for additional support and understanding.”
For more information about Allchurches Trust, visit www.allchurchestrust.co.uk .