Giving support - with a smile!
It’s a busy time at MSH, as we work to meet increasing need and continue to grow our team.
CEO Lucy Budge checks in to share the latest news.
I wanted to take the opportunity to check in with our followers and supporters, as I enter my sixth month in post as CEO. As I type that, I find it difficult to believe how fast the time has gone!
What a busy and exciting time we have been having at My Sisters’ House. After an especially lively summer, with lots of events, and high client numbers, September saw one of our busiest months in the history of MSH, with 121 new client referrals. This really reflects an expanding landscape of local need.
Increasing need for our services
I am painfully aware of the current backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis and the fact that so very many lives are affected by this. It is a privilege to be able to help and support our local community, while we navigate this toughest of times. The need for food bank vouchers and for our toiletry packs has never been greater. You may well have seen all of our ‘shout outs’ on social media for toiletries, and we are grateful for every donation. We are currently working with local businesses to hold toiletry collection containers for us. If you know a business who would also like to do so, please do get in touch. Likewise, if you are a woman who needs support, and lives in the Arun or Chichester Districts, please do not be afraid get in touch.
Ensuring we meet those needs - with a warm smile!
You may have seen that we have been advertising a number of job roles. As well as developing our Chichester team and service, we have recently had a Senior Management Team restructure, befitting of our organisational growth, and which we hope will best serve MSH and our clients, as we move forwards. We are very excited to have just recruited a new Senior Fundraiser, who will help us to access that ever-crucial funding.
On which note… We have also been delighted to receive some funding from the Ministry of Justice, which will enable us to re-start the NSPCC DART (Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together) programme, for mothers and their children. We are currently in the process of recruiting a whole new team, to enable us to deliver this brilliant programme, which we know is so valued by those who attend. In addition, we have been really pleased recently to receive ongoing Ministry of Justice funding, to enable us to continue to support our local members of the Eastern European community.
Our wonderful, talented MSH team has been working flat out, both ‘on the ground’ and ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure that as we - and the need for our support – grow, we continue to offer the best possible service to the women who access it… and always with a warm smile. I feel extremely proud to work with such a compassionate group of people.
We are now gearing up to another especially busy time of year, which will see our Christmas gifting event, as well as other fundraising projects. Please keep an eye on our social media for details of how you can help, or the support that you can access.
For now, with warmest wishes,
Lucy Budge
CEO, My Sister’s House