community directory
a constantly-growing resource listing local, grassroots/on the ground organisations that directly support, empower, and help their communities. currently have a very long list of organisations, and not much organisation for them - but bear with! will be updating this as more & more suggestions come in, and trying to collate it into an easy-to-access resource for the entirety of the uk.
in the meantime, please find below a (slightly messy) list of organisations; divided up by cities/regions.
scotland
Addaction Scotland - the largest provider of drug & alcohol support services in Scotland. Launched in 2004, and now has services across the country from Dundee to Stranraer. Providing a number of specialised services, including: one-to-one sessions, medical prescribing, structured day programme, group sessions, needle exchange, education, training, and employment.
www.addaction.org.uk/addaction-scotland
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SAVI Kids - East Kilbride. A registered charity, set up initially to support children/young people and vulnerable adults who have been raped/sexually abused, and now supporting children who have endured all types of abuse.
Offers support in the form of buddying through the entire reporting, legal, and recovery process. They also offer befriending for the young people, 24/7 manned helpline, appropriate therapies, and an advocacy/general advice service for victims and their families.
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Chris’s House - Wishaw. After Anne Rowan lost her son Chris to suicide in 2011, she turned her attention to taking action, and created Chris’s House - a ‘Centre for Help, Response, and Intervention Surrounding Suicide’. It is the first 24hr non-medical crisis centre in Scotland, offering integrated support.
2 Bellhaven Rd, Wishaw, ML2 7NZ
01236 766755
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Enable Scotland - a charity working for an equal society for every person who has a learning disability. Founded in 1954, and is now the largest member-led learning disability charity in Scotland. Focusing on campaigning to end discrimination and break down barriers, raising funds to support families who have nowhere else to turn, creating opportunities for people who have a learning disability to make connections, providing personalised support that enables people who have a learning disability to find work & develop their skills.
3 Renshaw Place, North Lanarkshire, ML1 4UF
01698 737 000
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Maranatha Centre Foodbank - Motherwell. Foodbank run by Basics. Providing food parcels for people in crisis. Referral only.
Maranatha Centre, Glencairn St, Motherwell, ML1 1TT
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One Parent Families Scotland - Edinburgh. Aiming to change lives and challenge poverty since 1944. Support includes: encouraging & helping single parents to believe in themselves, discover new talents, enter education/training/work, and take up new interest; expand opportunities for parents & their children; provide vital childcare services - allowing parents to work, learn, and expand their social networks; use investments by funders and sponsors to create new social capital.
2 York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EP
0131 556 3899
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england
MASH Manchester - providing support to sex workers for 25 years. Including: condoms, safety, money, sexual health, domestic abuse, counselling.
Manchester Action on Street Health
94-96 Fairfield St, Manchester, M1 2WR
0800 1830 499
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Whitechapel Mission - London. Serving the homeless and marginalised for 143 years. Includes: day centre, skills training, career advice, activity programmes, specialist support for complex needs. Open 365 days. Receives no public funding.
Currently looking for £10 donations to provide a meal for 20 people at Christmas.
Text service: text HOMELESS to 70144 to donate £3, or FEED to 70144 to donate £5. Whitechapel Mission receives 100% of donation.
212 Whitechapel Rd, London, E1 1BJ
03000 111 400
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Hull Homeless Outreach - started in 2013, handing out clothes, blankets, and food to the homeless community in Hull. Provide a soup kitchen every Wednesday and Thursday at St Mary the Virgin Church Lowgate; and a non-referral foodbank at the same location on Tuesdays between 12pm and 2pm. Night outreach programme also in place. Always looking for donations - especially: sleeping bags, rucksacks, warm clothes, hats, gloves, socks, underwear, toothpaste/brushes, deodorant, soap, menstrual products. Operated fully by volunteers.
Unit 44, Microfirm Centre, 266-290 Wincolmlee, Hull, HU2 0PZ
St Mary the Virgin, Lowgate, Hull, HU1 1EJ
07856906924
www.hullhomelessoutreach.co.uk
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The Whitechapel Centre - Liverpool. Open 365 days a year providing services to rough sleepers, people living in temporary accommodation, and those at risk of becoming homeless. Last year, they worked with 4,025 people to end or prevent their homeless. Support includes: street outreach, homeless resolution hub, supported accommodation, health & wellbeing, resettlement, housing & welfare advice, private rented bond scheme, peer mentoring & volunteering, learning & enablement, and family centres.
The Whitechapel Centre, Langsdale Street, Liverpool, L3 8DT
0151 207 7617
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ACORN the Union. Founded in Bristol in 2015, ACORN is a mass membership organisation and network of low-income people organising for a fairer deal for their communities. ACORN have taken on dozens of rogue landlords and letting agents, as well as Santander, TSB, and NatWest. ACORN’s motto is “Taking What’s Ours” - trying to show that by working together, we can refresh and rebuild democracy and the fabric of communities.
National Office: Bristol; 20 Church Rd, Lawrence Hill, BS5 9JA; info@acorncommunities.org.uk
Sheffield Office: 18-20 Union St, Sheffield, S1 2JP; sheffield@acorncommunities.org.uk
Newcastle Office: Alderman Fenwick’s House, 98-100 Pilgrim St, NE1 6SQ; newcastle:acorncommunities.org.uk
Manchester Office: Acorn, Partisan, 19 Cheetham Hill Rd, M4 4FY (by appointment only); manchester@acorncommunities.org.uk
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PAFRAS - Leeds. Positive Action for Refugees & Asylum Seekers. They aim to work with refugees, asylum seekers & the wider community to counter the effects of enforced destitution on vulnerable migrants. Their 3 main areas of work are: providing immediate humanitarian relief; long-term support, advice, and advocacy aimed at assisting service users to make lasting improvements to their situations; raising awareness and campaigning locally and nationally on issues affecting our service users.
Also works in connection with St Vincent’s Support Centre to provide clothing which can be picked, tried on, and then taken home free of charge. Donations can be dropped at St Vincent’s Monday-Friday between 10am and 4pm (4 Berking Ave, Leeds, LS9 9LF). PAFRAS also provide approx 70 food parcels per week and rely on donations and volunteers. Donations can be dropped at St Aidan’s Church Hall, Elford Place West, Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS8 5QD - Wednesdays 10am to 1pm; and to Unit 24, Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 1AB - Mondays 10am to 12 noon.
PAFRAS also run a Mental Health Assessment and Referral Service, to provide a recovery-orientated service based on the partnership with service users, volunteers, statutory organisations, and communities in Leeds. Offers: weekly drop-in sessions (including screenings, assessments, and referrals to appropriate mental health and support services); crisis analysis with referral and follow-up; psycho-education and information about different available services in Leeds; Holistic support of service users, while they wait to access specialised care.
Email contact info for all of PAFRAS services is available via a form on their website:
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