SOME of Berkshire’s most vulnerable women will be supported to find suitable and safe accommodation thanks to a grant from Nationwide Building Society.
Alana House, a community project run by Parents And Children Together (PACT) has received a grant of £50,000 from Nationwide as part of its Community Grants programme, which brings their members and colleagues together to help tackle the housing crisis. The funding will enable Alana House to support vulnerable women to find suitable and safe accommodation, and help them to thrive there.
Based in Reading but with outreach support across Berkshire, the Alana House team will provide one-to-one advice and practical support to women, for example, applying for housing, providing grants for a microwave or fridge, food parcels, as well as access to additional support to help them address any substance misuse and debt issues that endanger their opportunity to keep their home.
In 2022 197 women accessed support at Alana House and were empowered to address particular behaviours and assess life circumstances that may have put them in a vulnerable position or at risk of offending.
Kathryn Warner, PACT’s Head of Communities said: “Nationwide’s generous grant will enable some of the most vulnerable women in Berkshire to secure and maintain a home of their own.
“Alana House will provide holistic support to women who need it, such as those living with a domestic abuser or in damp or crowded accommodation.
“We also provide crisis grants of appliances if needed and a Moving on to Independent Living course which equips women with skills such as budgeting and builds their confidence and skills.
“Thank you to Nationwide for helping to make this work possible”.
Britain’s biggest building society has run its Community Grants programme since 2017 – offering grants of up to £50,000 to local charities and projects, particularly those focussed on housing. This year, it’s awarded a total of £4.3 million to 96 housing related projects across the UK.
Siva Nirmalan, Senior Branch Manager at Nationwide Building Society, said: “Helping local communities and charities is at the heart of what it means to be a building society for Nationwide.
“We are pleased our Community Grants programme is going to make a difference through this £50,000 grant to PACT, helping them make a difference to the lives of local communities in and around Slough who rely on their services.
”It’s a pleasure to be able to offer financial support now and through the year by way of participating in fundraising and social events for PACT.”
Over the last five years, Nationwide Building Society has awarded £22 million to housing charities up and down the UK. That means almost 118,500 people are now living safer, happier lives. From April 2023, Nationwide will be offering new grant applicants up to £60,000 to support those in housing need.
