By Kate Pounds
September 7 2020, 15.00
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Homeless people and healthcare workers in London have received hundreds of thousands of pounds in Covid-relief support from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.
One thousand London-based junior nurses, midwives and health care support staff received a £250,000 donation via the Royal College of Nursing Foundation.
Homeless people benefitted from £25,000 donated to west London based The Glass Door Homeless Charity (Glass Door), which has moved 103 people from hotels to more permanent accommodation since the start of the pandemic.
A woman in her 30s described her feelings after receiving help from Glass Door. She said: “Not only would I be homeless without Glass Door, but I would have lost my mind.
“If your home isn’t safe it impacts everything.
“Poor mental health can really pull you down, and when you’re down, it’s really hard to get back up again.”
Trusts and foundations fundraising manager Alicia Feetham explained Glass Door launched an emergency appeal at the beginning of the pandemic. She said: “We have been extremely touched by the generosity of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation and so many others in the community.
“This support has kept vital services open to homeless people, helping provide PPE, supermarket vouchers, phone credit and a befriending service, and enabling our caseworkers to keep working throughout the pandemic.
Glass Door provides open access shelters and support services for men and women across London affected by homelessness.
Last year a similar amount from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation paid for 1,000 sleeping bags and 350 mats for Glass Door’s shelter.
The Royal College of Nursing Foundation launched its Covid-19 support fund in April.
The money from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation supported health care workers living or working in the Greater London area who found themselves in hardship during the pandemic.
Royal College of Nursing Foundation director, Deepa Korea, said: “This wonderful donation will have a tangible, immediate and positive impact on nurses midwives and healthcare support workers and we are delighted to be partnering with you to support and recognise the many hardworking members of the nursing community in London who are working so tirelessly on the frontline in these most difficult times.”
The Royal College of Nursing Foundation is an independent charity supporting and championing nursing staff in the UK.
Kensington-based St Barnabas Ecclesiastical Parish’s Food Fresh for the Front Line appeal, run in conjunction with easyStorage, received £5,000 in donations from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.
Fresh food parcels were delivered to front line staff without time to shop for themselves, using easyStorage vans.
These donations form part of a total of £680,000 the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has made to charities in the countries it supports.
