At Home-Start Barnet, Brent, Enfield and Harrow, our aim is to be there for families when they need us most. That’s why on Monday, 30 August 2021, our CEO, Guljabeen Rahman, and a team of staff will be participating in the first ever London Interfaith Fun Run. With the funds raised from the run, we aim to offer our counselling service to even more Home-Start families.
For many families during Covid-19, their support networks have been diminished and their access to support restricted. Mothers gave birth to babies without the presence of their partners; perinatal services were reduced as resources were channeled to Covid-19 aid; single parent families became isolated; and the strain on food banks and secondhand donations of clothes and goods increased to such an extent that providers were unable to cope with demand at times.
From a recent Home-Start UK report, we know that twice as many low-income families (under £16,000 p.a.) are not optimistic about life after lockdown compared with those earning more (over £30,000 p.a.).i The erosion of these families’ support networks, provisions, and services over the past year and a half has also eroded their confidence and resilience. Their mental health is at an all-time low.
Our counselling service works with families to give them a safe space to explore their feelings, whilst offering tools to help them rebuild their confidence and face this new future feeling stronger and more empowered.
Can you help us raise funds for this vital service? We are looking for people to support in one of the following three ways:
- To sign up to run/walk 1K, 5K, or 10K for us (and gain sponsorship): https://www.interfaithrun.org/home-start-barnet
- To sponsor the team currently running/walking: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/homestartfunrun2021
- To share/retweet our posts about the event on social media.
If you have any questions about the run or our counselling service, please reach out to us: victoria@homestartbarnet.org
