Changes, changes everywhere….
Wow, what a whirlwind, scary, fast-moving, reactionary few weeks we have had… everywhere! The COVID-19 crisis has certainly brought with it some significant changes, in every area of life.
At Home-Start we are now all working from home, including myself, and finding new ways to interact with each other.
Prior to the lockdown, we had been easing ourselves gently into thinking about embracing technology; we had run a few meetings where people had ‘dialled in’, set up remote access for staff and we were feeling tentative, but positive, about making further changes. Then suddenly, wham! bam! we were all hurled into this online way of working. Nothing like a back-against-the-wall scenario to get you learning new skills.
But, that is just what we have done. I am so proud of the team of staff we have in our scheme. Talk about rising to the challenge: an events manager with all events cancelled; one member of the team starting her first day – in lockdown; face-to-face services that could no longer be delivered in person; staff, trustees and volunteers all falling into ‘vulnerable’ categories; yet still many, many families needing our support more than ever before.
So, we have taken each day as it comes, making decisions quickly to suit the ever-changing landscape of this crisis.
Four weeks in, we have established online support for individual families, and we are running both our family groups ‘virtually’. We have re-focused our fundraising strategy towards online campaigns, events and initiatives. We have started to reach out to our community and have been humbled by the support already received – it is so amazing to know that our local scheme is valued so highly.
And as we move through these crazy times, I’ve no doubt about the continued need for our services. People were feeling socially isolated before this happened, add into that, families living on top of each other, suffering from financial worries, unable to get supplies or find outside distractions… it’s an endless list, which simply adds to the challenging situations that some of our families face.
Both myself and the team are committed to finding ways to keep on delivering our services so that we can be there for our families now. And we’re working hard to raise the vital funds we need to ensure we can keep going through this crisis, so that, at the end of it, we will be here to help people pick up the pieces and get their lives back on track.
Sarah Mascall
Scheme Manager
If you are struggling right now and feel that you could benefit from our services, please get in touch via our contact button and we will get back to you to discuss how we might be able to help.
Alternatively, if you would like to offer your support to Home-Start and help us to continue to offer our services to vulnerable families – you can do so by clicking here.