Urgent action is needed to help protect vital charities
It is incredible to be writing this thinking about how quickly the world we know has changed beyond recognition since this last column. We have seen day to day life transformed, we’ve seen heartbreaking deaths and a fear of going under as jobs disappear. But we’ve also seen heroes and hope, often told in the pages of our local newspapers: The retired firemen returning to work, the housing organisations delivering food parcels, the kind notes left for our brave NHS workers.
My job is to make sure the police have what they need to keep you safe. But the reality behind this has always been that we need more than just police officers, we need the army of volunteers and community workers who help keep us safe. Across Sunderland and the rest of the Northumbria area, charities and support groups are suffering. They’re having to adapt to new ways of working without the usual face to face contact or access to their premises. Many are also seeing donations drop off and are suffering because their volunteer base is made up of the elderly or the vulnerable who need to stay home. Every single charity I have spoken with has been absolutely clear that they need more support with their cashflow, and fast. With losses of income and rises in demand the Government needs to act urgently.
That’s why I launched a Coronavirus Response Fund I want to get financial help out there as soon as possible, ideally to projects and services that
are already set up in order to help make a difference at speed.
There’s so much amazing and kind work going on right now and it’s clear to see the community spirit in Sunderland is strong. So with this fund I want to support the most vulnerable, including those at risk of domestic abuse. I also want to support young people at risk, neglected or feeling the impacts of poverty now the stability and support of schools has been taken away.
We don’t want to recover from this outbreak only to see the quiet support network that keeps us safe has disappeared. This virus, sadly, is going to have lasting implications for many charities and of course we have to be realistic; this fund is only a drop in the ocean compared to what our multi-million pound charity and voluntary sector need from the Government. So, to everyone doing their bit, from our frontline heroes to our dedicated volunteers and to every one of you who is staying at home to save lives, thank you, and take care.