Communities Fund Employee Giving has provided £880 of match funding
Hope in Action
Doncaster, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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Aim
Helping people rebuild their lives through essentials, meals, recovery support and a welcoming community hub.
The Fresh Start Community Hub
Practical support, positive connections and new beginnings
The Fresh Start Community Hub is a partnership between Reflections Yorkshire CIC and Phoenix Recovery Hub.
Our aim is to support people who have made the courageous decision to change their lives and begin rebuilding their future. Many of the people we work alongside are recovering from addiction, leaving prison, moving into supported accommodation, experiencing homelessness or trying to reconnect with their community.
Taking the first step towards change is incredibly difficult. Recovery is not only about stopping harmful behaviours. It is also about rebuilding confidence, creating stability, developing new skills, managing everyday responsibilities and feeling part of a community again.
Many people arrive at our services with very little. Some do not have suitable clothing, toiletries, towels, food or other everyday essentials. These may seem like small things, but having clean clothes, personal hygiene products and a hot meal can make a significant difference to someone’s dignity, confidence and wellbeing.
What we want to create
We want to develop the Fresh Start Community Hub as a welcoming and non-judgemental community pop-up service.
The hub will provide practical essentials alongside meaningful recovery, financial wellbeing and community support. It will be a place where people can receive help, build positive relationships and take their next steps towards a more stable and independent life.
Through the project, we will provide:
- Toiletries and personal hygiene products
- Towels and essential personal items
- Clothing, trainers, socks, underwear and pyjamas
- Hot meals, food and refreshments
- Weekly budgeting and money-management support
- Recovery and wellbeing groups
- Peer support from people with lived experience
- Volunteering and community involvement opportunities
- Life-skills, education and employment support
- Signposting to housing, benefits, debt, recovery and specialist services
- A safe place for people to talk, connect and feel valued
- A town-centre pop-up stall where people can access information and support
We also currently provide meals for groups twice a week. These shared meals are about much more than food. They give people an opportunity to sit together, talk, build trust, form positive relationships and experience a sense of belonging.
Weekly financial wellbeing support
The Fresh Start Community Hub will provide weekly drop-in financial wellbeing sessions focused on practical budgeting and money management.
Many of the people we support are rebuilding their lives on limited incomes. They may be managing benefits, dealing with unpaid bills, preparing to move into accommodation or learning to manage household costs independently for the first time.
Participants will receive support to:
- Understand their income and spending
- Prioritise rent, utilities, food and other essential costs
- Create realistic weekly or monthly budgets
- Plan for bills and household expenses
- Identify unnecessary spending
- Recognise the risks of high-cost or crisis borrowing
- Develop safer financial habits
- Prepare for independent living
- Access specialist debt, benefits, housing and employment support
The sessions will take place once every week and will operate on a drop-in basis. People will not need to complete a complicated registration process or book an appointment.
Beneficiaries will be able to access the sessions through Reflections Yorkshire CIC, Phoenix Recovery Hub, supported accommodation providers, community referrals, prison-release pathways, outreach activity or by approaching our town-centre pop-up stall.
Support will be available through small-group discussions and individual guidance. People will also be encouraged to return for follow-up support so they can review their budgets, discuss changes in their circumstances and continue building confidence.
These sessions will help people feel more secure and in control of their finances by giving them practical tools they can use in everyday life. Better money management can help prevent missed essential payments, reduce financial anxiety, protect accommodation and support independent living and lasting recovery.
Where specialist help is needed, we will connect participants with trusted debt, benefits, housing and employment services.
Why this project matters
People rebuilding their lives often face several challenges at the same time. They may be dealing with addiction, trauma, homelessness, financial hardship, poor mental health, family breakdown or the difficulties of returning to the community after prison.
Without the right support, these pressures can quickly become overwhelming.
We believe nobody should be defined by their past. With the right support, encouragement and opportunities, people can change their lives and become valued members of their communities.
Our approach is person-centred and built around dignity, compassion and lived experience. We understand that progress looks different for every individual.
Some people may need clothing and toiletries. Others may need a meal, a conversation, budgeting support, help accessing services or the opportunity to join a group.
The Fresh Start Community Hub will meet people where they are and help them identify their next positive step.
Who we are
Reflections Yorkshire CIC provides recovery support, aftercare, outreach, volunteering, education, life skills and pathways towards employment.
We also work with people in prison and those preparing to return to the community. Our prison programme helps individuals understand addiction, reflect on their life choices and connect with the right services before and after release.
Phoenix Recovery Hub supports people to build recovery, connection and hope within their local community.
Our teams understand addiction and recovery both professionally and personally. Lived experience is one of our greatest strengths. It allows us to connect with people honestly, challenge them appropriately and show through real experience that change is possible.
We do not simply tell people how to change their lives. We walk alongside them while they do it.
More than an essentials service
This project is not simply about handing out clothing or toiletries.
Practical support opens the door.
A person may initially attend because they need a towel, a meal or a pair of trainers. Once they feel welcomed, respected and safe, they may begin talking about the wider challenges they are facing.
That conversation could lead to budgeting support, recovery groups, housing advice, benefits guidance, volunteering, education, employment opportunities or reconnection with specialist services.
Every item donated and every conversation offered can become part of someone’s journey towards stability.
Our vision
Our long-term vision is to create a regular community hub where people can access support without judgement or complicated barriers.
We want the Fresh Start Community Hub to become a place of hope, opportunity and connection. A place where local people, volunteers, businesses and recovery communities work together to support those who are ready to make positive changes.
We want people to leave the hub feeling seen, respected, supported and encouraged.
Most importantly, we want them to know that their past does not have to determine their future.
How the money will be used
Our £5,000 fundraising target will be used as follows:
- £1,800 for project coordinator and facilitator costs for weekly drop-in sessions, budgeting and money-management support, participant follow-up and partnership coordination
- £700 for sessional peer-support workers with lived experience
- £600 for toiletries, hygiene packs, clothing and essential items
- £450 for food and refreshments
- £450 for town-centre pop-up stall costs
- £300 for venue hire
- £250 for budgeting, recovery and wellbeing materials
- £200 for volunteer travel and safeguarding training
- £150 for storage and transport
- £100 for insurance, administration and monitoring
Total: £5,000
Investing in staffing will ensure the hub is safe, consistent and properly coordinated. It will allow trained staff and peer-support workers to deliver structured financial wellbeing and recovery support, follow up with participants and connect people to appropriate specialist services.
Every penny raised will support the delivery of practical, recovery and financial wellbeing assistance to people rebuilding their lives.
Where possible, we will also work with local shops, supermarkets, businesses and community organisations to secure donated goods and make the funding go further.
Our stretch target
Our stretch target is £10,000, which is an additional £5,000 above our original target.
Any additional funds will allow us to deliver more weekly outreach and financial wellbeing sessions across Doncaster and South Yorkshire. It will also provide additional budgeting materials, food, toiletries, clothing, venue hire, volunteer expenses and follow-up support.
This will help us reach more people who face financial, transport or confidence barriers when accessing support.
How you can help
Every donation, no matter how large or small, will help us provide practical and meaningful support.
Your donation could provide someone with clean clothing, personal hygiene products, a hot meal, budgeting resources or access to a supportive weekly drop-in session.
People and businesses can also help by donating suitable items, volunteering, offering a collection point, providing food, supporting a group session or sharing our campaign.
By supporting the Fresh Start Community Hub, you are helping someone feel cared for, included and hopeful while they rebuild their life.
Thank you for believing in second chances, recovery and the power of communit
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th September 2026 at 9:59am