Like many organisations and charities, the effect of the pandemic at Launchpad’s Speke House in Liverpool has had a huge impact on operations, residents and staff.
Naturally, services have had to be reduced and the health and wellbeing of some of the residents living at the house has deteriorated.
Speke House, which is the city’s largest veterans’ accommodation provider, has secured funding of £49,772 to support two vital services that will provide urgent relief to residents.
The funding has been provided by the Steve Morgan Foundation, under the Community Match Challenge initiative, part of the government’s £750 million emergency support package to support charities and social enterprises impacted by Covid-19.
Priority has been given to front-line regional organisations who provide direct support to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.
Launchpad is using the funding to employ two temporary workers to address some significant challenges over the next two years that have arisen as a result of Covid-19. The first is the appointment of a specialist case worker to help residents living in Speke House to overcome mental health, gambling, drug and alcohol issues and to move them on to stable and independent lives. Kate Riley joined the team at the beginning of December and provides face-to-face mental health support for up to 48 residents currently living at the scheme.
The second post is a maintenance worker to help with the extra demands in keeping Speke House as safe from Covid as possible and to help clear any backlog of non-emergency repairs which have built up during lockdown. James Oakes has been appointed to this post.
Sam Jackson, Manager at Speke House, said:
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have seen a significant impact on our operations and residents, many of whom, are vulnerable and need additional support.
“We know we are not alone in this situation and like many other charities, we rely on additional funding through personal and corporate donations to enable us to deliver the excellent services we provide to veterans.
“We are therefore very grateful to the Steve Morgan Foundation and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for this funding which is contributing towards these two vital roles. We are delighted to welcome Kate and James to the team and we are already seeing the benefits their roles bring.”
Steve Morgan, Founder and Chairman of Steve Morgan Foundation, said:
“My trustees and I have seen first-hand how the pandemic has affected all sectors of our communities across the Liverpool City Region. In particular vulnerable veterans have been adversely affected by the current situation. Thanks to the match funding opportunity offered by Community Match Challenge and DCMS, we are able to offer support for Launchpad’s Speke House and its residents.”
Baroness Barran, Minister for Civil Society said:
“The Steve Morgan Foundation continues to support regional front-line charities to provide vital services to local communities. I’m thrilled that this funding from the Community Match Challenge is having an immediate and tangible impact on people most in need of support during these difficult times.”
In addition to Speke House, Launchpad also has a house in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2013, the charity has supported almost 500 veterans. 71% of residents successfully move on to settled accommodation and 42% (pre-pandemic figure) leave in paid employment.
The Steve Morgan Foundation was a recipient of funding through the Community Match Challenge, receiving £10 million in funding from the DCMS and £10 million in match funding from their own money to support front-line charities to ensure essential services continue to be provided to vulnerable people, both in the short and long term through increased community support.
