Tokio Marine HCC (TMHCC) has donated a total of £10,000 to The Wallich, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, to invest in alleviating homelessness.
The Wallich supported 72 people sleeping rough in Bridgend last quarter (March – June 2019), a 23% increase on the number of people they supported in the same quarter last year.
Something as simple as a shower is often inaccessible for people living on the streets. The Wallich will use part of the donation to upgrade the shower services at their dedicated drop-in centre, which can be accessed by anyone experiencing homelessness who requires signposting, housing, health or welfare advice or help making appointments.
For many people, The Wallich centre is a constant and reliable feature, of their sometimes chaotic lives.
The rest of the £10,000 will go towards funding emergency accommodation.
Mike Walmsley, corporate fundraising manager at The Wallich, said,
“Tokio Marine HCC has trusted us to decide where best to put their generous donation. That’s why we’ve decided to upgrade the basic shower we have in Bridgend to a full wet room, where we hope people who are street homeless can enjoy the dignity of a good quality shower, with privacy and a more positive headspace to take on the challenges that face them ahead.”
Ian Rowles, managing director at TMHCC Bridgend, said,
“As part of Tokio Marine HCC’s corporate social responsibility programme, the staff at Bridgend office recognised the growing number of homeless people in south Wales and voted to support The Wallich as our chosen local charity for 2019.
It is with great pleasure that we have been able to provide our donation, knowing the positive impact it will make to those in need, in our own community.”
The Wallich operates across Wales but offers a range of services for people experiencing homelessness or are vulnerably housed in Bridgend.
Their Rough Sleepers’ Intervention Team goes out every morning to provide hot drinks, food, provisions and vital advice for people sleeping on the streets of Bridgend; supporting an average of 16 people rough sleeping per day.
As well as providing vital outreach, The Wallich has several hostels in Bridgend, many are specific to certain needs such as young people’s accommodation and family hostels.
The team also helps people struggling to get into the private rented sector through its bond board and specialist housing-related support.
