Covid-19 Update
Due to the unexpected developments of the Coronavirus outbreak in the UK, all our face-to-face services were suspended at the end of March. Throughout the pandemic we have continued to work remotely, within the government guidelines set out for us. We encouraged women to access phone support, by calling or texting us. This way we could continue to support them emotionally and practically, including referrals to ongoing city services during this difficult time.
We have also set up a new scheme called #scriptYR as a Covid-19 response for women in crisis. This is a project which makes use of community locations women are already visiting, to limit their exposure to the virus. By bringing them parcels of food and essentials, we also included information and access to a telephone helpline for women in crisis.
In the first eight weeks of #scriptYR, 49 women registered with the scheme and 234 weekly bags were delivered to women - that’s 1638 daily provisions. We currently deliver to three pharmacies in the city, where women go weekly to pick up prescriptions. We have plans to continue the scheme beyond lockdown and expand it to other collection points, in partnership with other vital agencies.
In the last month we have begun Street Outreach again, and it’s been wonderful to connect with and support our women in that way. At the moment we’re just doing skeleton outreaches with the staff team every Tuesday evening, with added safety precautions.
At the beginning of lockdown we were heartbroken that we were unable to continue with our regular face-to-face contact, so we cannot wait to open as normal again, as soon as that's possible! We have already been looking at ways we can bring volunteers back and relaunch our usual services in a safe way during the Autumn. We will keep you updated!
There are three things you can do to support us in the meantime.
1. Stay connected.
Sign up to our newsletter by clicking here and like our Facebook page for the latest updates.
2. Donate.
We have started a General Appeal aiming to raise £20,000 in the year of our 20th Anniversary. We have got off to a great start towards our target, why not head to the Get Involved page to be a part of it.
3. Volunteer.
We are still open to hearing from anyone who would like to get involved in the work we do. Head to the Get Involved page to express your interest.
Love,
The Team at Jericho Road