Update to Church Leaders on key needs across the city

in the context of the Covid-19 crisis

• Firstly, the growing need with regards to food poverty across the city. By way of background the Mayor’s weekly blog this week focused on the issue: https://thebristolmayor.com/ . The response to the call for financial support to supply food to the networks of foodbanks across the city has been great, but much more support is needed. This week the first financial contribution from the Churches City Fund was distributed across the network, and is already making a real difference. But we need to keep this going into the coming weeks and months. PLEASE therefore get the message out across the church networks and encourage people to support this vitally important need, the link is as follows: https://www.churchescityfund.org/ . This remains a KEY priority.

• Secondly, Clare gave us a really helpful update with regard to foster carers, and this is summarised below:

• 48 fostering enquiries
• 14 households in assessment, some nearing end of training
• 42% of the assessments that BCC are undertaking have come from the Home for Good/churches campaign

• The URGENT need to provide direct financial support to ensure there is a sustainable supply of food for the network of Foodbanks across the city. PLEASE CONTINUE TO MAKE YOUR CONGREGATIONS AWARE OF THIS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO DONATE. If you’re able to contribute as a church too that would be wonderful. The link is as follows: https://www.churchescityfund.org/ . Demand is growing by the day (in most Foodbanks demand has tripled in the last 2-3 weeks), and we need to ensure that there is sufficient food available to meet that demand – PLEASE do make this a priority.
   
• Secondly, the urgent call for more people / couples to come forward to be considered for emergency fostering. Clare Walker provided an update on Thursday, and there are have now been over 40 enquiries from the church community, and a number are now going through the final stages of being referred. This is an amazing response, but the need is still very much there, so do please continue to keep talking about this in your churches, and keep asking members of your churches to consider if they can keep a child safe. The link for more information is as follows: https://www.homeforgood.org.uk/bristol-response

• The coronavirus restrictions mean that refugees and asylum seekers may be more isolated and vulnerable than normal, with less access to the services and connections that they have come to depend on. This is a key opportunity for us to show love to ‘the foreigner living among us’ (Lev 19:34).
   
• The daily hot meals available at drop ins have had to stop. Borderlands does a hot meal delivery once a week, and Aid Box Community have stepped up to deliver food packs and emergency items. The key needs for donations are currently toiletries and washing powder, and you could contact www.aidboxcommunity.co.uk
   
• Hardship payments are available to asylum seekers through 5 organisations. If a church wanted to make a donation towards these, the best place would be to Bristol Refugee Rights.
   
• There is a need for hosts who have a spare room to help accommodate asylum seekers (adults) who are destitute or who have not received NAS accommodation. Please contact Bristol Hospitality Network (BHN) if you have people who may be interested in helping in this way.
   
• Social contact is a real need for people who are isolated at this time. Volunteers can help by giving people a call and signposting people when they need practical help – contact Aid Box Community about their Connections programme or Bridges for Communities about b.friend. City of Sanctuary have also launched an appeal for unlocked smart phones (2^nd hand) so that people can have contact with family and loved ones, and would welcome donations to that. 

• Firstly, the call for more people / couples to come forward to be considered for emergency fostering (see the link on the Bristol Noise website below, and a related film from Krish Kandiah). The link to the Home for Good Bristol Response ‘ask’ is as follows: https://www.homeforgood.org.uk/bristol-response . Over 20 people / couples have already come forward in response to this call, which is amazing, and the first introductory session has been hosted jointly with Bristol City Council; a good number have been taken through to the next stage. BUT, the need is much greater than this, therefore please give this some prayerful consideration and share the ‘ask’ with others. IT REALLY IS AN URGENT NEED.
   
• Secondly, the need to provide direct financial support to ensure there is a sustainable supply of food for the network of Foodbanks across the city. Many churches provide support direct to Foodbanks, which is great, but the URGENT need now is to provide direct funding to be able to purchase food to augment the supply of food from FareShare, and other direct donations. The Bristol Churches City Fund is therefore partnering with Bristol Noise and Christian Action Bristol to raise funds for what is becoming a critical need across the city. This will enable some economies of scale to be achieved in buying food for the foodbank network and will support the effort to get  food to where it is most urgently needed. PLEASE THEREFORE DONATE IF YOU CAN.  The link is as follows: https://www.churchescityfund.org/