Latest News

COVID-19 Homeless Support Fund Donates Over £560,000

03 July 2020

The Morrisons Foundation Homeless Support Fund has donated £560,163 to charities caring for homeless people across our local communities.

The fund was set up in response to the Covid-19 crisis and has supported 94 charities in 12 weeks. Grants have been provided to cover a range of vital services, including hot meals for rough sleepers, provision of food, PPE and cleaning equipment for homeless shelters, and advocacy services for people without a permanent home.

Caritas Anchor House, a charity that provides accommodation for 140 people based in the London Borough of Newham, received a grant which allowed them to purchase food, PPE and increase cleaning to significantly reduce the risk of infection.

Andrew Warburton from Caritas Anchor House said, "Thanks so much to the Morrisons Foundation for their donation of £10,000 to help with our Covid-19 response costs. This will help us to provide around-the-clock staff cover in addition to assisting with costs around increased cleaning schedules and extra equipment. The unforeseen costs of a virus outbreak of the scale of Covid-19, are a source of concern for many charities and shelters across the UK and The Morrisons Foundation's support is highly appreciated.”

Simon Community Scotland (pictured) has street outreach services and drop-in hubs for people who are rough sleeping or at risk of becoming homeless. A grant of £8,000 enabled them to ensure that this service could continue throughout the lockdown period.

Hugh Hill, Director of Services and Development at Simon Community Scotland said, "In the last few weeks we have supported hundreds of people off the streets in Edinburgh and Glasgow and into a safe place where they can be safe and well.”

“Our staff are working 7 days a week to make this happen, made so much easier by the support of The Morrisons Foundation helping us to reach more people, fund clothing, food, toiletries and mobile phones, so people can stay in touch during this anxious time.”

Llamau, Wales’ leading charity aiming to end youth homelessness saw a huge increase in demand on their services following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The charity reached out to the Foundation to help them to provide support, information and advice to their beneficiaries.

Jenna Lewis, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Llamau said, "We’re so grateful to the Morrisons Foundation for their support to help us to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to keep our support for homeless young people and women going throughout this crisis, but doing so will come at significant additional cost.”

“We want to make sure that the homeless people we support aren’t further disadvantaged as a result of the crisis and that means making sure that they are able to keep themselves safe and to protect their mental health and to continue engaging with education. The donation from the Morrisons Foundation will help us to ensure that some of the most vulnerable people in Wales continue to be supported in spite of the challenges presented by Covid-19.”

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee said, “Prior to launch, our commitment was to ensure that these funds were available for twelve weeks. More than £560,000 has been awarded to 94 charities across Britain and we’re delighted to have supported such a wide variety of good causes working with homeless people throughout the pandemic.”

Image Alt Text