Community Support
Lifeshare - Manchester's oldest homelessness charity!
Tuesday 27th July 2021
Lifeshare
Lifeshare is Manchester's oldest homelessness charity.
Whether it be to provide a food parcel to a family in need, provide dry socks and warm clothes in cold weather, facilitate mental health counseling and care, or connect someone with a device they can use to access important resources like healthcare, Lifeshare is there to help.
Lifeshare's primary service is providing crisis support for 16-25s with the CARDS program. CARDS targets vulnerable and marginalized young people in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are homeless (or at risk of becoming so) and those at risk of being sexually exploited. In addition to working to secure safe and stable housing, Lifeshare also works to help these young people achieve financial stability and develop positive mental wellbeing.
Lifeshare also works to fight food poverty with the weekend Breakfast Project. Every weekend from 7-9 volunteers operate out of the Nexus Art Café in the city centre to provide tea, coffee, hot butties, and porridge free of charge. We also had out fruit, water, and snack bars to help people throughout the day. Additionally, we offer dry socks and underwear in inclement weather to help them stay warm and dry.
During the pandemic, we have also supported temporary accommodations throughout the city to help them to provide food to their residents also with a few holiday treats. Through the generosity of our supporters, we were able to not only provide Christmas parcels with dinner and gifts to people across Greater Manchester, but also provided Easter chocolates as well.
In 2020,Lifeshare launched the Manchester Digital Collective, an initiative to fight digital exclusion and provide access to the life-changing benefits of technology. With a three-pronged approach that starts with sourcing and providing devices, moves on to establishing internet access, and finishes with a skill-building portal, the MDC hopes to bridge the gap in technical skills in the UK, with over 22% of the population lacking the digital skills they need for everyday life.
In July, Lifeshare hosted our first City Centre Wellbeing Day. This event brought together third sector groupd from around the city, along with local street food vendors Yumyummanc and Tikka Chance on me, as well as a barber to provide an afternoon of lighthearted community. Attendees were given a hot meal, a takeaway wellbeing pack, and information about how to access resources across the city.
Going forward in 2021 Lifeshare will continues to adapt and change to the needs of the city of Manchester. We hope to re-open in-person drop-in services, facilitate art and mental health therapy sessions, and continue frontline efforts to ensure at-risk individuals are safely housed and can access the services they need.
You can follow Lifeshare's efforts on our social media channels Instagram, Facebook,Twitter, and Youtube to get current updates on our ongoing work. You can also look at our website lifeshare.org.uk to read more about our services and check out volunteering opportunities.
