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Post by rugbytoffee on Feb 24, 2021 14:16:30 GMT
 For the last eight years, Amy Kirk has been managing Everton in the Community's (EitC) Home Is Where The Heart Is programme to help provide crucial support to homeless young people and those facing homelessness. That help has been needed more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, a fact recognised by Amy and her team, who have adopted strict safety measures to ensure they could continue their work in person. Emotional support "We didn't want to work remotely with the participants," Amy told the official club website. "We had done a lot of work with them and some of them rely on the staff a lot more than others for emotional support, guidance and everything else. "The team wanted to be there for them so the decision was made from the off." The project's residential house provides a place to stay, along with vital emotional and practical support so that the young people can build confidence, resilience and coping strategies. "We've had to adapt a lot of things around the house," says Amy. "There were a lot of procedures put in place around hand washing, gloves and masks and trying to keep distance from each other, and although we've implemented things to keep everybody safe, it's still such a nice home environment. "We've had our challenges and it's been really tricky at times... some of them have got relationships going on and it's hard, but they have been really good and we're proud of them." Wide-ranging help Since last March, Everton and EitC's Blue Family programme have provided food parcels, help with utility bills, physical and mental-health wellbeing support, laptops and other educational resources to over 28,000 individuals and families across Liverpool. They have also hosted online sessions ranging from drug and alcohol abuse awareness to a poetry recital and healthy eating workshops. Everton are one of a number of Premier League clubs offering critical ongoing support to their community. |
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