In 2020, The Cambridge Building Society set out to support local organisations dedicated to addressing home and housing needs in our community.
They partnered with us to set up their Community Fund, which allows them to distribute funds simply and effectively through a bi-annual grant application programme.
“Peter BurrowsSupporting our community is vitally important to everyone at The Cambridge. We exist to help people have a home, and as such we invest significant time and resources in supporting people who couldn’t get a home without help. An important part of that is working with groups in our local community who offer services for shelter and housing.
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CEO
Women experiencing homelessness are less visible on the streets than men, making them harder to reach.
Whilst Wintercomfort has been known for delivering outstanding services for men, some women didn’t access the charity’s services due to feeling intimidated by male service users.
Wintercomfort sought to address this imbalance by setting up a women-only service, Winter Women. It enables vulnerable women to come forward to ask for help, safe in the knowledge that it will not put them at further risk of violence and exploitation.
As the service expanded, Wintercomfort required funding to employ an additional Women’s Project Worker to meet demand. The Cambridge Building Society’s Community Fund was able to help by offering a grant towards this cost.
“Peter BurrowsCambridgeshire Community Foundation has been crucial in the success of our fund. We needed a partner who shared our community values and brought expertise in running all aspects of the fund, including liaison with community groups.
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CEO
A grant from The Cambridge Building Society’s Community Fund helped The Angels Foundation UK to source furniture, flooring, and other support for families who have been re-homed due to domestic abuse.
Staff from The Cambridge have enjoyed engaging with the charity’s work, including inviting The Angels Foundation UK to talk to its team members about their ‘Back to Life’ support project and the mutual has also joined one of the charity’s ‘walk and talk’ sessions.
