Englands Lane Hostel: Can we help?
So you may recall that I mentioned Englands Lane has no WiFi. Whilst this is isn't great, I have since talked to my contact at England's Lane hostel and she has other (arguably more pertinent) ideas on ways we can help.
Laundrette Situation
From my understanding, there is a laundry room in the Englands Lane hostel. However, residents weren't taking care of it (as so often happens when a lot of people use a shared facility). It now no longer functions, and there are no plans to get it fixed. Residents are now taking their laundry to the laundrette which adds another £15 or so per week to their bills. It is not possible to hand wash and dry clothes in their already cramped rooms.
Our plan is for my contact to introduce a voluntary clear up rota. They will have to clean up and check the laundry room is in a decent state, fluff removed from drier, doors left open to let the air out etc. Once a rota is in place, we can commit some cash to get the washing machines fixed.
Again, anyone with any thoughts or expertise in the situation - please chime up.
Local Employment
Is there a way we can utilise the great skills the residents at the hostel? My contact noticed that a lot of the posts on the Hampstead Mums facebook group is from people looking for childcare or cleaners. Can we employ the residents? My contact has worked with many high level establishments and can provide some training. Are there other training courses we can help the residents get onto for free/low cost?
It just goes back to the "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" quote. Of course there is the financial side, but also we can help the residents feel confident, and let them know they are more than capable of creating an income. My contact is happy to go through the references and training, essentially acting as an agency (without the fees), and I would publicise it via the Hampstead Mums channels.
Again, anyone with any thoughts or expertise in the situation - please chime up.
Warm winter clothing for women and children
As the cold weather kicks in, we would appreciate donations of any warm clothes/coats.