If you’ve made a donation to Launchpad recently or are a regular giver, thank you.
Times are tough for charities and like many of you, we too are feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, so every donation makes a difference.
All money raised goes directly towards supporting vulnerable people in the Reading area who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Staff and volunteers are on hand at our free drop-in service where anyone with a housing issue can come and talk to someone in confidence about what they are going through. Some problems can be fixed with a couple of phone calls or an email, others can be more complex and require the expertise of our in-house solicitor.
We have our own accommodation, and house people over a 6-12 month period. But we don’t just put a roof over their head and walk away, we make weekly welfare checks on all our tenants and maintain their accommodation to a high standard with our team of caretakers.
Our housing support staff will work with each individual to make sure they are claiming all the right benefits and have a bank account. We put them in touch with other support services in Reading, for example, ‘Change Grow Live’, the drugs and alcohol charity, to make sure they are getting the help they need.
We can help with form filling, make sure clients are registered with a GP, and encourage them to attend Launchpad 135, our work and life skills centre (which is now open to non-Launchpad clients).
At the centre, there are a range of activities on offer – all free of charge. People take part in the art group, learn to cook, have their hair cut, wash and dry clothes, do some gardening and even take a shower.
We have laptops available to use, Reading Welfare Rights visit every Friday, we provide free counselling and we have regular job shops giving people the support and advice they need to take a step back into the world of work or volunteering.
To keep all these services running at a high standard we do need to raise money.
So, as its April and the start of the financial year, could you commit to making a regular donation? You can do so quickly, and easily via the website – and even £20 a month could make a huge difference.
If you already do make a regular donation, thank you for your support and please fill in a gift aid form if you haven’t done so already – we can always check this for you, so do get in contact If you’re not sure.
Gift aid is so important for us – it will increase the value of your donation by 25% at no extra cost to you – and we can’t claim without your form.
So whether you make a one-off donation, or are a regular giver, and pay the basic rate of tax, please say YES to gift aid. Call the fundraising team for more information on 0118 950 7656 and press option 5.