New stretch target
Every penny counts as this project is unfunded. Since we started it in December, we have seen a steady increase of users by 250% We cannot support this increase without additional funds.
Warm-Happy-Connected is our new Community-centre based project providing free food, internet, workshops and a warm place to those in need.
by RJ4All - Restorative Justice For All International Institute in London, England, United Kingdom
Every penny counts as this project is unfunded. Since we started it in December, we have seen a steady increase of users by 250% We cannot support this increase without additional funds.
Marginalised communities and disadvantaged families in South East London are worried about heating their homes, let alone buying basic food, particularly while facing multiple bills and lacking or delayed support packages. No one should have to choose between hunger or warmth. Some are isolated with no internet access, a phone or TV.
As a "warm hub" for local residents, we at RJ4All have extended our opening hours and services this winter to combat the bitter cold and soaring energy bills amidst the cost of living crisis.
The Rotherhithe Community Centre offers a series of weekly activities including coffee & tea, music sessions, fitness classes and clothes mending workshops alongside our free services including a food bank, community fridge, gym, library with free internet, free phones and tablets, sim cards, and cloaths. These resources are available to mitigate obstacles and maximise support systems for the greater community. Warm clothes, shoes, and winter wear are also free for community members to exchange or take away as needed.
Warm-Happy-Connected is unfunded. We had to respond quickly and therefore we went ahead without securing funding first!
In the context of the rising cost of living, soaring energy bills and the bitter cold, a warm social space is needed more than ever. RJ4All is committed keep the SE16 local community #WarmThisWinter throughout the whole 2022-2023 winter period, by remaining open at extended hours.
To help meet this collective need, we must sustain our non-funded activities as well as our own increasing electricity costs, to be able to maximise the chance for the local community to pop in and stay warm, and access our holistic services whilst they are here.
In SE16, many households with traditional prepayment metres - typically those that are vulnerable and with fewer resources - are those taking the hardest hit.
New research reveals that millions of elderly, disabled, young families and those with a serious health condition in the UK are spending Christmas in cold homes this winter. Data collected last month from YouGov as a part of the Warm This Winter campaign finds that “51% are now rationing - and somewhat reducing - their energy consumption.”
Following its wider mission to advance community cohesion and relieve poverty through the use of restorative justice values and practices, this holistic project forms a part of RJ4All's efforts to build London restorative postcode.
"Community cohesion and reduction in anti-social behaviour cannot be achieved if communities' basic needs are not addressed first. Using the values of restorative justice and amidst the cost-of-living crisis, budget cuts and ongoing political uncertainty, The RJ4All International Institute and its Rotherhithe Community Centre aims to provide stability through a safe, accessible and warm space where members of the local community can access holistic services, so that nobody has to make the choice between hunger or warmth this winter.”
- Theo Gavrielides, RJ4All Founder & Director
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