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Fighting the Root Causes of Homelessness: Providence Row
January 12, 2012 daz  |
Last year London-based charity for the homeless Providence Row helped 6,000 people get off the streets. This is Yan’s story.
This week’s charity in the spotlight is Providence Row. Providence Row is a London-based charity that helps homeless people get off, and stay off, the streets.
Dipika Kulkarni from Providence Row told The Fresh Outlook that the charity aims not just to find homeless people shelter, but also that “it’s really important to examine the root causes of why these people are becoming homeless and to really tackle those”.
Providence Row achieves this through the charity’s weekly art group which gives those who are homeless a new way to express their feelings and emotions. The charity arranges language classes and assists their clients as they search for a job.
Providence Row also helps homeless people by giving them support for mental health and addiction issues.
They help vulnerable people re-enter their home communities in the UK and abroad.
Last year Providence Row improved the lives of 6,000 people. One of the people who benefitted from the charity’s help was Yan.
Yan had been homeless for 12 months before he came to Providence Row. He had suffered from drug abuse for 20 years but had begun the “coming off process” when he reached the centre.
Phil, a drugs worker at Providence Row, was able to find Yan a bed at a hostel. Yan was offered treatment for hepatitis C and also cognitive behavioural therapy in order to improve his mental health.
Providence Row worked with Yan to identify his long-term ambitions and goals. He successfully took part in a seven-week catering trainee scheme in order to build his confidence.
Ms Kulkarni told The Fresh Outlook that with the help that he received from Providence Row, Yan was able to turn his life around.
“This combination of receiving CBT from Phil and successfully completing the trainee scheme has given Yan confidence which will help prevent him from relapsing and maintain his accommodation,” she said.
Providence Row relies entirely on donations. If you would like to help someone such as Yan to turn their life around, you can take part in a 10K run in London. A place can be booked via the website at http://www.providencerow.org.uk/
Alternatively, if you or a loved one are affected by any issues featured in this article, you can contact Emma at Providence Row on 020 7422 6381.
By Louisa Guise
[Image courtesy of Providence Row]
