Catholic homeless charity, Caritas Anchor House, has been awarded £299,960 by the The Big Lottery Fund to help homeless people enter into education and employment.
The donation will fund the salaries of E-Learning Coordinator and Programme Manager in the charity’s Education, Training and Employment Programme, which helps homeless people find and maintain a suitable job.
Last year the charity helped 27 per cent of its residents find a job, which is nearly double the average of 14 per cent for most homeless organisations.
Chief executive of Caritas Anchor House, Keith Fernett, said the funding would help to improve the prospects of more people in the London Borough of Newham.
He said: “We are delighted that our transformative work in Newham has been recognised by The Big Lottery Fund. With the second highest levels of unemployment in London, our services are becoming ever more vital and this funding will allow us to extend our services in the community.”
The Big Lottery Fund distributes 40 per cent of the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes, which last year amounted to £670 million.
Lyn Cole, grant making director at the Big Lottery Fund, England said: “I’m really pleased to see that projects such as Caritas Anchor House will be bringing festive joy to people who are in need. This new funding will help homeless people in East London to gain education and employment. At the heart of the organisations receiving funding today is their ability to support communities, deliver positive changes and help so many people make a real difference to their lives.”
Caritas Anchor House serves 17,000 members of the community each year, while also providing shelter to 230 homeless people.
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