Receiving the keys to a new home should be exciting: the start of a fresh chapter and the foundation of a better future. But moving can also mean leaving behind familiar places, routines and support. For many people, this is when loneliness and isolation begin to take hold.
Our Social Connection Project supports people through these difficult first steps.
Through volunteer befriending, specialist one-to-one support, wellbeing activities and welcoming social groups, the project helps people build meaningful relationships, grow in confidence and feel part of a community again.
Last year, 100% of people who took part told us they felt less lonely and isolated, while more than eight in ten said their mental health had improved.
In practice, that might mean leaving the house to meet someone for coffee, trying a new activity, joining a group for the first time or simply having somebody to call. These everyday moments help people gradually regain the confidence to take part in community life.
The benefits extend far beyond reducing loneliness. An independent evaluation found improvements in mental health, confidence and resilience, all of which can help people sustain their accommodation and reduce their risk of experiencing homelessness again.
As one of our volunteer befrienders explained:
"A lot of people are lucky enough to have a support network and people that care but equally a lot of people don’t. This project levels the playing field and gives people something that you probably take for granted"
For the past three years, the Social Connection Project has been supported by funding from The Henry Smith Charity. Following a change in the charity’s funding priorities, that support has now come to an end.
The need has not.
We are working hard to find sustainable long-term funding. In the meantime, we have launched Fund a Future, an urgent appeal to raise £20,000 and keep the project running.
Without this funding, befriending relationships that have taken months to build could end. Groups and activities could stop. People who have begun to trust others and regain their confidence could find themselves alone again.
Your donation can help us protect the relationships, trusted support and sense of belonging that people rebuilding their lives after homelessness rely on.
£20 could help someone attend a welcoming activity and take their first step out of isolation.
£50 could help train and support a volunteer befriender.
£250 could help create group activities that foster friendships and support networks.
Every donation, whatever its size, will help keep this vital support running while we work towards a sustainable future.
A home provides the foundations for a new chapter, but connection, friendship and support help build a life within and beyond its walls.
Please help us Fund a Future and make sure nobody has to rebuild their life alone.
Donate today:https://justlife.org.uk/fund-a-future
