PROJECT NEWS - JULY 2013

imagine if... @imagineiftrust imagineiftrust

Ladies Night a huge success!Our Ladies Night on Saturday 29th June was a fantastic evening of food, dancing and laughter. Over 100 women came along and the event raised over £1,000 towards Sticky Fingers. Thank you to everyone who came and made it such a great night and to those who donated raffle prizes! You can see more pictures on our facebook page: facebook.com/imagineiftrust

We caught up with Project Manager, Cathie Higgins to find out a bit more about Streetwise.

When was the first time you went out on

streetwise, what was it like for you?

Back then there was no Streetwise van. We used to serve tea and coffee from the boot of a car. The first night I went out it was a really busy night. I had no idea what to expect but the thing that really struck me was the camaraderie between the women and their amazing sense of humour.

Streetwise is nearly 6 years old - What’s next?

At the moment we are looking at different locations we can go to support the women. The development work that’s happening around Crown Street means that the women are moving out of town to work in Kensington/Walton. The ongoing challenge is finding out how we can

best serve the women. We want to be able to move with them and be where they are.

We’ve developed really good working relationships with the police and other agencies in the city, and it’s an exciting challenge to begin to share what we’ve learnt in our five+ years of working with other agencies and projects. Developing these networks with other people across the country has been both an inspiration and encouragement.

So what’s the dream?

That women wouldn't be exploited in this way. A lot of the women we meet grew up together in children’s homes. All have experienced abuse in one way or another, and I wonder if they hadn’t gone through these traumatic experiences, maybe they wouldn’t need drugs to escape the pain of life. Many have never experienced genuine unconditional love. We want them to encounter the love of God for themselves. That’s our dream.

To volunteer or join a prayer team contact Cathie: admin@streetwiseproject.com

Focus on: Streetwise Project

www.streetwiseproject.com

STREETWISEBecause everyone matters

Central Liverpool

Imagine If Trust Projects...

www.imagineiftrust.org

Charity No: 1147780Company No: 8069756 Email: info@imagineiftrust.org

Stay connected!

Sticky FingersSummer ClosureA reminder to all Sticky Fingers parents that the last session before the Summer will be on Friday 12th July. We’ll be back on Wednesday 11th September. Enjoy your summer!

The Damage of Debt...DAVE’S STORY:‘Dave’ was halfway through his PGCE when his relationship broke down and he fell behind with his rent.

Stress levels got the better of him and he spiralled into debt, leaving him without enough food for himself or his 7 year old son.

After an appointment with the Jobcentre he was referred to CAP and met with one of our debt coaches last year. CAP took control of his finances, negotiating with creditors on his behalf and working to set a budget plan with him.

A few weeks ago he was declared debt free, he was even given the opportunity to go on a weekend break with his son to North Yorkshire through CAP.

“I feel a lot better now I’m debt free, I’m looking for work and hoping to restart my PGCE”

Tesco CollectionOur Foodbank has been taking part in a nationwide collection with Tesco this weekend. The collection generated 7,700kgs in December and we’re hoping for another huge haul of donations this time!

Tesco will top up all food donated by 30% which is a great support as we continue to feed over 500 people in crisis each month.