A day in the life of New Hope's Fundraising and Communication Manager

Last Thursday, I arrived at the Haven just before 7.30AM. There were already two men there, one had spent the night sleeping rough and was waiting for the drop-in to open at 8.30AM and the other was Hendrick, a volunteer from Morgan Sindall, who was there to cook breakfast.

We were soon joined by the Haven staff and Hendrick's colleague, Norma. Hendrick and Norma started preparing breakfast with the bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes and beans they had brought. (They kindly also donated two boxes of sleeping bags and many toiletries).

At 8.30AM the doors opened and several men were welcomed into the beautiful setting of the Haven. Hendrick's cooked breakfasts went down very well with everybody having a second helping - a reminder to us of how hungry our guests were and how this was likely their only meal of the day.

I spent some time talking to a man (and his dog) who had spent the night in a tent. He was grateful for some fresh water for his companion, a referral to StreetVet, and, of course, breakfast for himself.

Another man was in need of some medium-sized jogging bottoms but we had sadly ran out so he had to take a large pair. I made a note to appeal on social media for more jogging bottoms.

It's always moving spending time at the Haven, and once again, I found myself almost crying as I saw how chaotic and challenging the lives are of those whom we help and the way my colleagues love these people, with grace and truth.

If your company would like to cook breakfasts at the Haven or dinner at the Emergency Accommodation, please do get in touch and I can share details.

I then left the Haven to take part in a webinar from Homeless Link about engaging politicians in our work. This is a key topic this year with the general election approaching. You may be interested in our Key Concerns document on our website which we will be sharing with Watford's parliamentary candidates and other politicians who may visit our services.

I then spent some time in the office: writing a story for our website about a volunteer who is jumping out of a plane to raise money for New Hope (rather him than me!), creating materials for our forthcoming staff and volunteer conference, and working on our latest fundraising appeal, Restore and Recover. Please take a minute to watch the short video below.

Donations have been coming in and there's still time to give!

I headed home to pick my children up from school; my 10 year old son then told me I should watch Newsround as it was all about homelessness. The programme was highlighting children living in temporary accommodation (the numbers are incredibly high at the moment) and we heard from the children themselves. It's worth finding on iPlayer and watching. Our Tenancy Sustainment Team actually works with families in temporary accommodation in Three Rivers and so it's incredibly relevant to our work.

After dinner and a quick swim, I headed to the Apollo Explorer Scouts to lead a lesson on homelessness, its causes and effects, and how we can support people into accommodation. It's always a privilege to talk to young people! If you would like me to visit your community group (any age!), company or faith group, please reply to this email.

Thank you for reading this far! A day at New Hope is never boring!

Rebecca Palmer
Fundraising and Communications Manager