A charity in Ealing has received a large cash boost to provide key advice and support services to the Armenian community in London.

City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charity funder, is giving £160,000 over five years to the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (CAIA) in Ealing.

The funding will go towards the running costs of the charity’s advice service, which includes support by phone and email to people who are unable to reach the centre as well as home visits.

The charity provides culturally sensitive support in four areas: welfare; money; housing and immigration. In the past year, over 400 people received help from the service, the vast majority around welfare benefits, housing issues and debt. The project specifically targets Armenians living in London who are vulnerable due to ill-health, disability, lack of paid work, immigration status, or social welfare problems. It also does advocacy work.

Dhruv Patel, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee, said:

“This charity is working closely with an important community in the capital, providing them with crucial, tailored support, which is changing lives.

“We are committed to tackling disadvantage and reducing inequality and London, and funding charities such as CAIA which is helping vulnerable people, helps us achieve this goal.

“Now more than ever, the Trust has a key role to play in ensuring the sector stays strong and effective, particularly by helping smaller charities such as the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice.”

Misak Ohanian, Chief Executive of the Centre For Armenian Information & Advice, said:

“CAIA is delighted by the generosity of City Bridge Trust. The grant provides us the financial stability to deliver the vital advisory service for the next five years for the most disadvantaged sections of our community such as our carers, migrants and refugees, low income families, and our women and children.The timing could not have been more crucial given the uncertainties and challenges our clients and society in general is currently facing.”

The Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (CAIA) was established in 1986 and operates from its own community centre in Acton. The charity runs a social/lunch club for older people, OFSTED registered crèche facilities, health and care services and outreach for housebound older people, an after-school club, and legal, welfare and employment advice services. It also maintains a website and regular mailing list connecting 3,000 Armenian households across London.

CAIA estimates there are approximately 20,000 ethnic Armenians living in London, and it is the only provider of high-quality advice to this community.

City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of the City of London Corporation’s charity, Bridge House Estates. It is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital. The Trust has awarded around 8,000 grants totalling over £400 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the City Corporation’s aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

ENDS

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07710860884 / 020 7332 1125

Notes to editors

City Bridge Trust recently announced new emergency funding for 170 small charities in London to support them through Covid-19. It is giving grants of up to £15,000 to all of the small charities it currently supports. The money will go towards supporting the charities with running costs and to help organisations in replacing loss of income, supporting them now and in the months ahead before society begins to return to normality.

Last month, City Bridge Trust pledged £1 million to a new emergency support fund to help London’s community and voluntary organisations affected by the impact of the COVID-19. The funder joined the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and London Funders a network of investors of London’s civil society, to launch the new fund, with an initial £1 million provided by CBT and another £1 million from the Mayor of London. The emergency scheme, which will be coordinated by London Funders, will be available to charities facing immediate financial pressures and uncertainty because of the coronavirus.

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK.

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk 

About City Bridge Trust

City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of Bridge House Estates, a Registered Charity, with its primary aim the maintenance and support of five Thames bridges: Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark, Blackfriars and the Millennium footbridge.

City Bridge Trust was established in 1995 to make use of funds surplus to bridge requirements and provides grants totalling around £20m per year towards charitable activity benefitting Greater London. The City of London Corporation is the sole trustee of the Bridge House Estates.