Flu campaign to raise money for homeless people in Wolverhampton
P3 Wolverhampton has teamed up with the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital Trust to support people struggling with homelessness this winter.
This season is set to be one of the worst in recent years for the flu virus and part of the preparation is to get 75% of staff vaccinated against flu. To encourage this, Wolverhampton Hospital have said they will donate £2 to P3, for each staff member who has the jab.
The money will be used to provide services for people with housing issues in Wolverhampton such as home starter packs, emergency short-term accommodation for rough sleepers and therapeutic activities like trips away.
A group from P3, including West Midlands Operations Manager Sam Bailey and Senior Support Worker Sarah Moseley, went along to the launch of the campaign with one of our clients, Brian, who shared his story with hospital staff.
Funding could provide mobile homeless support
Sam said:
“We are delighted to be selected as the RWT’s nominated charity for this year’s winter flu campaign. We’ve worked in partnership for four years now, supporting people via our Hospital Discharge Team.
“Over the past year we have worked with 1,500 people within Wolverhampton who need tenancy and benefits advice, are at risk of eviction or already homeless. That’s 125 people every month. We work tirelessly to rebuild lives within our accommodation, but with the monies raised via this flu campaign we will be able to do so much more.”
If the hospital reaches the top target of £10,000, the P3 Wolverhampton service's ultimate vision is to convert a bus into a mobile resource centre where they will be able to offer people hot food, a shower and even a bed, crucially keeping them safe so they don’t have to face a night alone sleeping rough on the city’s streets.
Sam also challenged staff who were unsure about taking up the vaccination to come and see what they do on the frontline in the Wolverhampton services in the hope that that would convince them to take the jab, not only for their own health, but also to have a positive impact on some of the city’s most vulnerable people.
See the RWT's website for more information about the RWT's flu campaign and advice on the flu virus.
