The team at Emmaus Leicestershire & Rutland were proud to receive a special card from the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire.
Our homelessness charity was sent the card by Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Kapur OBE, as recognition for the work we’ve done during the coronavirus pandemic (photo above: some of our companions with the card).
The accompanying letter states that Mr Kapur “has been made aware of the wonderful work your group has been doing…to help the local community” so he sent the thank you card with his “personal appreciation for being such an example to others.”
We would like to thank the Lord-Lieutenant for the lovely card.
During the past year we have ensured that, despite the trying times, our support for the formerly homeless people living in our Hinckley accommodation has continued. Hayley Gall, our Community Support Officer explains:
“The pandemic has been so hard for the people we support. They’ve already been through so much by the time they come to our charity for help. When you’ve been through the experience of being homeless, it can really affect your mental health and your ability to cope emotionally when things go wrong. During lockdown, the guys – who normally would’ve been helping to run our charity shops during the week – felt a little trapped. Many missed the stability and structure of their regular work routine.
“I frequently visited the accommodation and was there as someone to drop-in and talk to (at a social-distance). They all know they can trust me and it’s amazing what difference it can make, just to be able to get things off your chest if you’re feeling low or frustrated. We also encouraged them to keep busy because, as we all found during the past year, having a practical project can be very calming for the mind. They were redecorating the house and even gave the garden a bit of a makeover last summer.”
We’re grateful that our charity shops in Hinckley have now reopened, and the people we support are back at work.