A Barnet homeless charity will be making a New Year's resolution to get more homeless people off the streets after a grant from the Hendon Times Group.

Homeless Action in Barnet in Woodhouse Road, North Finchley, will receive £5,000 from the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the Gannett Co. Inc, owner of the Hendon Times Group.

The grant will assist in its work helping people sleeping rough on the streets into secure, long-term accommodation, for the next 12 months.

Charity director Joe Lee said the project tackled personal, medical and social problems of rough sleepers as well as practical issues of finding and retaining accommodation.

"It is basically a project that helps people who are moving off the streets into accommodation and settling into the local community again," Mr Lee said.

"They have key workers coming to visit them, encouraging them to go into training and all the things that you need to do when you move into a house.

"A lot of people are put straight into accommodation and they can't cope and they go back on the streets. They need a lot of support to get back into the community, which is available through the day centre and the key workers."

Hendon & Finchley Times editor John Killeen presented the award to HAB on Friday last week. "We are delighted to make this award to a very deserving cause," he said. "We hope it will help give a hand up to some of the most disadvantaged people living in our midst."

The day centre is open Monday to Friday, providing hot meals, showers, clothes, laundry facilities as well as advice and support for the 70 to 100 clients who visit daily.

Health teams and specialist workers for asylum seekers are also available at various times during the week.

December 21, 2001 17:07