You will probably be aware that The Oasis Centre has been closed since March as a result of the coronavirus. Here is a brief update of how we have been working to continue to serve the needs of the East Manchester Community.
You will probably be aware that The Oasis Centre has been closed since March as a result of the coronavirus. Here is a brief update of how we have been working to continue to serve the needs of the East Manchester Community.
We have continued to help our community where it needs us the most and currently are providing help in 3 main ways.
- Emergency food provision
- Activity packs and conversations to help mental well being
- Remote crisis support where possible
The Oasis Centre has thirteen staff in total. Eight were initially furloughed but a small team has been working continuously to make sure that individuals have not been forgotten.
Two of our active team continue to be at the Centre Monday to Thursday from around 9.00am until around 2.30pm. They receive donations of food into the centre, and make sure that our stocks are topped up where necessary using funds which have been generously donated for this purpose. They prepare food packs which are then either collected from the food bank centre or delivered to those in need, depending on the circumstances.
In addition, a further member of our team continues to work from home and produces bespoke activity packs which are either posted or delivered to the client’s homes. The packs are sent out to the ones who need them the most and phone calls are made to those who simply long for ‘a chat’.
Since we began to operate the Centre in its emergency state, we have carried out the following from the 23 March till the end of July 2020:
- 286 Emergency food parcels delivered
- 1,228 Emergency food parcels collected
- 501 Activity packs either posted or delivered
- 285 Phone calls made and received
- 239 Crisis issues engaged, supported and dealt with
- 12 Emergency clothing packs collected and delivered.
We have also been very privileged to be able to offer food provision and support to the local Salvation Army, local schools, Trust House Whitefield (which is a model project of the Oasis Centre operating in Bury), a Guest House in Cheetham Hill which was housing 21 residents who were waiting to be re-housed by local government who either had physical or mental disabilities and were unable to leave the Guest House, as well as supporting a local food bank in the area and a nearby care home.
Lockdown has impacted substantially on the construction timetable for our new Centre and so it remains tantalisingly close to completion with handover anticipated in September.
We will then set about the re-introduction of some our regular services in a way which complies with social distancing and public health requirements. Initially looking at our Crisis Support and latterly towards the last quarter of the year our other programmes.
We have been overwhelmed with the continued support of Oasis at this time and I personally cannot express the thankfulness and gratitude that I have toward you in your commitment to help those who are most vulnerable, isolated, deprived and lonely.
Your support continues to make a huge difference to the community of East Manchester and beyond.
Thank you.