A READING-based addition rehabilitation charity has received a grant of £10,000 from the Tackling Poverty Grant, awarded by Wokingham United Charities, and distributed by Berkshire Community Foundation.
Hope and Vision Communities says it will help them to support men who have successfully completed a residential rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction, to find employment and security.
Founder of Hope and Vision Communities Tony Attwood experienced 25 years of addiction and crime himself, including 15 years of community, prison, and residential treatment.
Now an active Christian, and a 12-step fellowship member, his mission is to make a difference and give back to society.
He said: “Facing poverty means waking up every day to insecurity, uncertainty and impossible decisions.
“All of our residents experience this, and we’d like to devote more time to improving their lives.
“We want to offer them more help with their finances, such as opening bank accounts, advice on debt management, and help with their financial planning.
“We want to give them something meaningful to do through volunteering opportunities, where their value is based on the difference they make, not what they earn.
“And we want to support their employment options, moving them away from a reliance on benefits by signposting them to training, helping them to write CVs, and supporting them with grants and work experience.”
Mr Attwood says that the grant has made a huge impact on the charity’s ability to deliver the support needed by its clients over the coming year.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to the Berkshire Community Foundation and Wokingham United Charities,” he continued.
“This valuable funding will go towards supporting our key worker costs to deliver continued support and to help set our residents free from poverty.”
Hope and Vision Communities works with men who have successfully left treatment for addiction but who need a new place to call home.
The group rents houses on behalf of its residents, providing them with a safe place to go and the chance to escape the cycle of addiction.
Family sized homes enable residents to enjoy friendship, cook meals together and support each other through the ups and downs of life.
Their home as long as they need it, the space provides a stable basis for continued recovery.
For information, visit: www.hopeandvision.org.uk
