However you choose to support our charity, it really makes a difference.
Thank you for all you do.
Did you know that we work with thousands of individuals and families from Greater Manchester and Lancashire every year?
Many are experiencing:
- urgent and acute crisis with no safe place to call home
- no food to eat
- no security or peace
- significant mental and physical health and wellbeing issues
- a loss of hope.
We’re proud to work alongside them as they transform their lives with dignity.
And, we can only do that thanks to your support.
Whether you:
- donate
- volunteer
- share our news
- signpost people to us for help
- take action in your community to bring about change
- or help in numerous other ways…
It really is life-changing.
In the area we work within across Greater Manchester and Lancashire, according to latest statistics:
- There are 8,928 children living in temporary accommodation.
- This is a staggering increase of 11 per cent compared with the same time last year.
- Numbers of people rough sleeping locally have risen too, with the latest figures showing 481 individuals living on the streets with no safe, secure place to call home.
- More than one in three children are living in poverty and going to school with empty tummies, many not knowing whether they’ll have a meal today.
But these aren’t just statistics.
They are real local people.
Our friends.
Our family.
Our colleagues.
Our neighbours.
People like Kevin who was living his car until he came to our charity for support.
We’ve been privileged to work alongside him, providing a safe, secure place to call home, and a whole range of other support as he transforms his life with dignity.
Our services support people in Greater Manchester and Lancashire who are experiencing poverty, homelessness, isolation and discrimination.
We operate in the heart of local communities, working alongside individuals and families at a time they need it most.
You can read more about our work and the impact you’ve enabled us to have in our latest report by clicking the orange button below.
Did you know?
“I can’t tell you how much this means to have support. Things are so hard at the moment and I’m really grateful for everything you do. My boys don’t know where the food comes from, but they know they will be fed.
Person accessing our services
Sharon works alongside the families at our young parent accommodation.
She wants to say thank you for enabling that work to continue.
Thanks to your support, the team can provide safety, security and a period of stability to young parents and their children at a time when they’ve experienced crisis or distress in their lives.
The services empowers the families to develop the skills needed to live independently, all done in a nurturing environment where they can grow in confidence and provide a space where their babies can thrive.
For example, one local mum was living a chaotic life without any stability for her and her son.
She moved to the young parent accommodation and lived with us for 14 months. During this time she learned ways to improve her parenting skills and built up her confidence to live independently.
She joined all the service’s activities and her son particularly enjoyed story-time sessions each evening.
When she was ready to move out, our team supported her with grant applications for furniture and other
elements involved in moving into your own tenancy.
She has come back to visit and to share with staff how things are in her new home. The family has settled in and are getting on well with neighbours. They are part of the local community and she is looking forward to settling her son into nursery and looking at doing something for herself while he attends.
Did you know?
Below are just a few small examples of the big impact your kindness enables…
“My life has changed beyond recognition since coming…without the support I would not have been housed, fed or going to university. Your support gave me hope and confidence in me and I give thanks for all the help and advice to me, my husband and my boys.”
Person accessing our services
Here are just some of the individuals and families we’ve supported recently thanks to the help of people like you…
-
Supporting Amber*
Amber* was supported by our team after her mum’s recent abusive relationship meant she found it challenging to attend school and was inattentive in class. -
Supporting Asma*
Asma was resettled by one of our local community sponsorship volunteer groups. It was the first time she had been away from her extended family. -
Supporting Bryony*
Bryony moved to our Young Parents' Accommodation service with her baby. She was referred due to domestic violence in her relationship with the father of her child. -
Supporting Christopher*
Our Caritas House supported accommodation is home for 19 single men who are homeless and have accessibility needs. One resident tells us more about his experiences and how he has found the support from Caritas… -
Supporting Craig*
Craig came to Morning Star after being street homeless for some time. He has Tourette’s Syndrome and was quite reserved when he first came to the accommodation, due to his health issues and the trauma he had experienced. -
Supporting David*
David came to us for support when he was sleeping rough on the street and had a substance misuse problem. He hadn’t had a relationship with his immediate family for a number of years, was unable to claim benefits and had no place to call home. -
Supporting Hannah*
Hannah* was pregnant when she needed to flee an abusive relationship. At risk of homelessness, she arrived at our accommodation for young parents with few belongings and feeling very overwhelmed. -
Supporting Jesse*
Jessie had been struggling with their mental health and had taken steps to end their life. They were referred to our School Service team for counselling support. -
Supporting Jo*
Jo was homeless and sleeping rough at Manchester airport when they came to our Cornerstone centre for support. Unable to claim benefits, work or secure a place to call home, they asked our team to help. -
Supporting John*
John had a very large debt on both his gas and electricity accounts. He was receiving regular letters from debt collectors and had become very stressed by this situation, especially as he had not had gas or electricity in the property for a number of years. -
Supporting Juliana*
When she arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker, Juliana's background meant she had so much to offer to society, but she was met with numerous barriers, as people seeking safety experience every day. -
Supporting Leanne*
Leanne* became a volunteer at our Lalley community allotment while she recovered from a breakdown in her marriage, losing her job and custody of her children. The experience has led her on a new path, including aspirations for a new career. -
Supporting Mahboobeh
Mahboobeh is an entrepreneur from a refugee background who joined our Aspire Business programme after nearly giving up on her business dream. She’s since made huge progress in developing her own art café/collective run by local artists and managed by her and her partner. -
Supporting Mike*
Mike attended Red Door and advised us he was rough sleeping. He had poor mental health and struggled with substance misuse. -
Supporting Paul*
Paul started coming to Cornerstone when he was sleeping in Whitworth Park after leaving his home due to fear of violence. -
Supporting Pauline*
Pauline has been sofa-surfing with her two young children, aged 2 and 6, since September 2020. She presented initially to our Lalley community pantry and requested support. -
Supporting Yvonne*
Yvonne started attending allotment sessions at our Lalley community allotment via the adult education charity Back on Track who have a weekly group session based on learning gardening skills, socialising and benefiting mental health.
