Derby City Mission are delighted to have received a significant amount of funding from Nationwide Community Grants. Nationwide members voted to use at least 1% of their pre-tax profits towards funding community projects, and encouraging local solutions to the national housing emergency. Derby City Mission are honoured to be one of those solutions.

The £50,000 award is for 2-year funding commencing from 1 April 21 towards salary costs for a Debt and Benefit Manager to help prevent people from losing their homes; manage crippling debt and facilitate access to foodbanks, employment and skills training and supporting Derby's homeless into sustainable accommodation.

Derby City Mission’s Jubilee Debt and Advice support service has seen a 34% increase in demand since Covid-19 and is currently delivered via email / telephone with occasional face to face appointments, during normal business hours.

Sarah Fowler, Head of Poverty Prevention, Derby City Mission explains,

Our experience of working with the local community has given us an insight into how they are struggling to pay priority bills such as rent, heat and light and are amassing debt. As such it is anticipated that there will be a flood of newly made homeless people and those facing imminent eviction. This grant will provide a critical role at Jubilee to prevent people from losing their homes.”

The key benefits for the community will be: -

• People are prevented from losing their homes
• Homeless people are supported into safe, secure accommodation
• Breaking the circle of homelessness by supporting individuals to maintain their tenancy, early intervention is provided to stop evictions
• Individuals move out of 'chaos' into 'contributory lifestyles' by become more resilient, able to manage their own finances and tenancies, evictions are avoided.
• People participate in the employment programme, find and secure paid work.
• People's mental and physical wellbeing improves.
• The local community become more connected and more informed of local services.

Please contact us if you are experiencing any issues with debt or housing, we'd be happy to have a chat with you and see how we can support you at this time Call us on 01332 460 347 or email [email protected].