Small charities’ forum
What is the small charities’ forum?
The Forum unites a diverse group of 12 organisations from across the UK, all committed to enhancing people’s wellbeing in areas such as mental health, housing, employment, disability, and community support. Through structured discussions and strategic input, members contribute to strengthening PBE’s research efforts, ensuring they align with the challenges and priorities faced by the social sector and their beneficiaries.
- Advise on strategic priorities, ensuring that the perspectives of the sector and their beneficiaries are represented.
- Provide insight and feedback on PBE’s research and policy initiatives.
We achieve this through: believing in people’s ability to change, by not giving up on people and making sure everything we do is founded on Hope. We are determined to tackle the inherent injustice of the Housing system in Manchester.
Our Beacon Support Centre, provides for those in immediate crisis who are rough sleeping in our city. We support people off the street through providing food, showers, setting up benefits claims, referrals to drug, alcohol and mental health services, seeing a primary care nurse and, referring people into accommodation. We do this by creating trust in a trauma informed environment; with a non-judgemental person centred approach.
This means that we can continue to support our clients past their immediate crisis helping them to rebuild their lives in the way they want to. We have a Supported Housing and Resettlement Project which enables people to thrive in a private tenancy.
We also work closely with other agencies: including Probation, Greater Manchester Police, the NHS, and Change Grow Live, Manchester’s commissioned drug and alcohol service.
Website: https://www.barnabus.org/
Birth Companions is a national charity supporting pregnant women, mothers and their babies who are living in some of the most difficult and complex situations. These include mothers in contact with the criminal justice system; refugee, asylum-seeking and undocumented women; and women who might be separated from their baby through social care proceedings.
These women and their babies experience enormous challenges, and their lives are often shaped by deep-rooted social issues including poverty, sexism and racism. All too often they are not given the support they need, and are treated unfairly.
At Birth Companions, we:
– Deliver specialist services to improve women’s lives here and now;
– Make sure there’s evidence of what’s going wrong and how to make things right;
– Work with partners to shape national law, policy and guidance, improve the care provided by services and systems, and ensure women’s rights are upheld.
Website: https://www.birthcompanions.org.uk/
Disability Support Calderdale was founded in 2014. The work team is a mixture of staff and volunteers. We currently have two new volunteers that are excited to begin their journey to helping people. As an organisation we provide vital support and information for vulnerable people in difficult circumstances. The type of support we provide varies from each person and their situation. We provide benefit support to individuals that are finding the thought of filling the forms out quite daunting. People experience anxiety with issue that Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is migrating to Universal Credit (UC). They worry that their financial support is going to stop or be reduced. Many people that access our services are struggling with their mental health and this just adds to their anxiety and stress. The support we provide enriches people’s well-being. In 2024, we recouped £2.5 million by supporting individuals with their benefit issues and our work adds social value to the local community.
We run drop in sessions at a local food drop-in once a month which run on a no appointment basis and these sessions are very popular and can get extremely busy and is focused on benefits and housing. We run an art class every Friday afternoon and this is also very successful. This class allows people that have an interest in art to express themselves through the therapy of art. This is used by many as the ‘social time’ of the week where they can enjoy conversations with other people. The art sessions supports well-being as some people are isolated and do not have regular contact with other people.
At Fat Macy’s we have been tackling the rapid rise in homelessness through new methods combining social enterprise, skill-development and resilience-building. Through our comprehensive 200-hour hospitality employment and skills programme, coupled with one-on-one, person-centred resettlement support, we equip people experiencing homelessness with the skills and resources needed for long-term stability. Our innovative model is based around two entities. The first being a social enterprise, Fat Macy’s Ltd, which operates a restaurant called Sohaila in Shoreditch, where beneficiaries gain hands-on work experience and training. The second being Fat Macy’s (charity) which provides the welfare and resettlement activity. Upon completing the programme, participants are eligible for a housing deposit award from our training partners, which assists them in securing private rental housing.
Website: https://www.fatmacys.org/
Fences & Frontiers exists to make the UK a more welcoming, supportive and inspiring place for refugees and asylum seekers. We do this by running cultural, and nature-based activities that bring people together in the spirit of friendship and solidarity. Our activities offer people the chance to explore beautiful parts of the countryside and cultural spaces. However, more than that, we provide opportunities for people to build friendships and gain a sense of community, practise their language skills, and improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
Website: https://www.fencesandfrontiers.org/
Greater Change is a charity that uses an innovative approach to tackling homelessness in the UK; providing personalised budgets to help people move out of homelessness for good. Our clients tell us exactly what they need to move out of homelessness, we listen and fund it.
The goal of this novel approach is to help people break out of the cycle of homelessness permanently, or to prevent them from getting trapped in the first place.
We work with partner charities to deliver our support, leveraging the specialist knowledge of local homelessness support services rather than duplicating them and guaranteeing accountability by working with expert and experienced providers.
Our model offers a dignified and highly effective approach to tackling homelessness that has the potential to truly solve the problem in the long term. It costs an average of £1300 to move one person out of homelessness. In turn, this saves the public purse over £35,000 per annum, a return of over 20x.This results from freed-up bed spaces in supported accommodation, the unlocking of healthcare and criminal justice capacity, and more.
We have supported over 1600 people since our inception in 2018, with 86 percent of those we supported last year maintaining their move out of homelessness a year later.
Website: https://www.greaterchange.co.uk/
Khulisa is a charity focused on supporting the wellbeing of vulnerable young people aged 11-17 who are at risk of exclusion, using neurosequential and creative-therapy informed methodologies and practice to teach fundamental social and emotional skills. We use facilitated activities, games and creative work to offer our young people the tools and support to reflect on the causes of their behaviour, what they want to change, and strategies to do so.
Our range of offers includes a whole school Social & Emotional Learning Curriculum, our flagship intensive offer, Face It, youth participation work (up to age 25) and trauma-informed knowledge and practice support for school staff, and for parents and carers. Our ethos prioritises partnership working with schools, peers and the wider sector, and on building connected sources of support to address the mental health crisis in young people.
We work in Greater London and Greater Manchester, partnering and delivering directly in schools and seeking to support young people with direct work and through positive change in the systems and environment around them. Our vision is of a trauma-informed education system that gives every young person a route into a future where they can thrive.
Website: https://khulisa.co.uk/
Our Special Friends is a charity which is dedicated to enhancing human wellbeing through animal companionship and ensuring that both people and animals receive the care and companionship they need to thrive. Founded by former vet Bin (Belinda) Johnston, the charity provides practical and emotional support helping people to benefit from the love and stability pets offer.
Based in Suffolk, Our Special Friends helps a wide range of individuals including the vulnerable, socially isolated, and those with mental or physical frailty who have, or have had, pets as companions but need support to keep them.
Through partnerships with human and animal-focused organisations, Our Special Friends’ holistic approach aims to keep vulnerable people and their pets together for as long as possible and to change lives for the better.
Services include dog-walking for owners with poor mobility, advice to keep pets with their owners, regular visits from volunteers with their dogs for people who can no longer keep a pet of their own, support around bereavement, fostering pets during times of need, and sourcing suitable animal companions for those who have lost their special friend.
Website: https://ourspecialfriends.org/
Our mission is to break down stereotypes about mental illness, create a safe environment for children at home and within their local community, and help young people to manage stress and unlock their full potential.
Website: https://ourtimecharity.org.uk/
The Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) is a membership body representing a diverse range of charities that provide both financial and wellbeing support to individuals in need.
Bringing together a network that includes occupational/sector charities, armed forces and veterans charities, medical charities and regional trusts, ACO provides a platform for these organisations to connect and knowledge share through our online community hub, benchmarking reports, special interest groups and training events in order to encourage collaboration and drive best practice.
Website: https://www.aco.uk.net/
The Proud Trust’s top priority is improving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people. Through our regional youth work and national support services, we empower LGBTQ+ young people and the adults in their lives to create positive change for the future. We won’t stop until true equality is a reality for all.
Website: https://www.theproudtrust.org/
Together Co is one of the UK’s few dedicated loneliness charities, supporting over 2,000 people a year to build meaningful social connections. Based in Brighton & Hove, we tackle loneliness and isolation through our award-winning services, including befriending, social prescribing, and community connector programmes.
Our work is powered by 470 dedicated volunteers, who provide vital companionship and support to those at risk of chronic loneliness. By linking people to local activities, services, and social opportunities, we help individuals regain confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging.
Recognised as a GSK Kings Fund Impact Award Winner 2024, we are a leader in innovative approaches to tackling loneliness. Our expertise has gained international attention, including hosting officials from South Korea and contributing to the World Health Organisation Social Connection Commissions, sharing best practices on a global stage.
At Together Co, we believe that loneliness is not inevitable. Through partnership, innovation, and community support, we create lasting connections that transform lives.
Website: https://togetherco.org.uk/