Caring Co-op members share profits with the homeless

The pioneering Hastings Homeless Service run by Sussex St John Ambulance has received a welcome £1,613 boost from the Co-operative Membership Community Fund.

Helping some of the most vulnerable people in Hastings

Members of the Co-operative group donate part or all of their profits to the Community Fund which is used to help improve the lives of others.

Last year the fund gave away £1.7 million to various charities, community groups and self-help organisations.

The donation to the St John Ambulance Homeless Service will be used to provide first aid, vital health care and on-going support to some of the most of the vulnerable people in Hastings.

Markie Barratt, Sussex St John Ambulance’s Homeless Service manager, said: ‘We’re extremely grateful to Co-operative members for this generous donation. In these difficult economic times, it’s heartening to find an organisation which puts care of the needy at the heart of its business model.’

‘The money will help to improve the lives of some of the most marginalised and desperate people in our community. In some cases our service is quite literally the difference between a life lost and a life saved.’

A service which turns lives around

The Hastings Homeless Service has been running since 2003 and includes a podiatrist and a 13-strong team of dedicated volunteers including six nurses.

The team provides four daytime health clinics a week at the Seaview Project day centre in St Leonards and a fortnightly Saturday evening clinic at Hope Kitchen in Hastings.

The free drop-in clinics enable highly vulnerable people to receive treatment for a range of serious illnesses and conditions common among those who are either homeless or leading chaotic lives – including respiratory conditions, trench foot, musculo-skeletal injuries, mental problems and substance abuse. Last year the service had more than 1,400 contacts with clients.

Along with professional health care, the charity also provides a wide range of support services designed to help people tackle their problems and turn their lives around.

A partnership between the Homeless Service and the Conquest Hospital has been successful in reducing repeated readmission to hospital because St John Ambulance ensures patients are given the support they need when they are discharged after treatment.

The project has reduced the burden on the NHS while ensuring that discharged patients don’t simply return to their vulnerable lives on the streets with all the associated health risks.