A Lewisham charity has received over £120,000 in funding to support vulnerable and homeless people in the borough.

The City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, has given the 999 Club and Lady Florence Trust charity £123,840 for its homelessness advice and rough sleeping prevention work.

The grant will help the charity to provide an information and support service including advice on benefits, money management and budgeting, housing and tenancy support.

The 999 Club’s current Advice & Support service helps people who sleep rough to find a place to live. The charity maintains strong links with private landlords and supported housing providers who will house homeless people.

After a period living rough, many people have no identification, and no bank account, both of which are essential to begin a new housing tenancy. Advice & Support at the 999 Club helps people to navigate the complexities involved in finding a place to live and reintegrating into society.

The grant will benefit 240 people every year, mainly in Lewisham, but also some from Southwark, Greenwich and Bromley.

Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust committee, said:

“This Lewisham charity has been supporting the community for a very long time with evident success.

“It has a great focus on supporting vulnerable people at risk of becoming homeless and providing solutions to ending rough sleeping - a service that is invaluable and which our funding will help expand.

“City Bridge Trust is committed to tackling disadvantage across the capital and making London a fairer and better place to live.”

Andrew Mitchell, Head of Fundraising at the 999 Club, added:

“We’re celebrating our 25^th anniversary this year and new funding from the City Bridge Trust is a fantastic birthday present.

“Advice & Support at the 999 Club really does transform people's lives, taking them through the challenging task of finding and keeping a home.”

City Bridge Trust is London’s largest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital. The Trust has awarded around 7,600 grants totalling over £360 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the 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