Carr-Gomm Housing Agency
“Absolutely fantastic.” This is Vikki Benham’s
evaluation of the quality of service she has received from Turn2us.
As a support worker for Carr-Gomm Housing Agency, Vikki works at
Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services, providing refuge and outreach to
victims of domestic violence. Following traumatic experiences and
periods of time living in a refuge, Vikki’s clients often need some
financial support to move back into the community for a fresh
start.
“Turn2us enables me to locate charities that I
never knew existed”, Vikki says. “My clients have quite specialist
needs and through Turn2us I have been able to find exactly what I
need to help them”. A recent successful application to the Heinz
and Anna Kroch foundation, a contact provided by Turn2us, has
resulted in a grant for one of Vikki’s clients. “My client had fled
domestic violence, literally leaving the house with
nothing”, she explains. “After a stay in a refuge, she now
feels ready to re-settle in the community”. The grant will help pay
for some clothing and furniture and will also give the client some
financial security while she is setting up a new home.
The speed of the Turn2us service is really
important when you have a busy schedule, Vikki explains, and it
saves the time she previously spent searching the internet.
Vikki finds the Turn2us website very useful
for grant searches but was also impressed by the excellent service
provided by the helpline advisers. “Turn2us has helped working
practice here”, says Vikki, who had pinned up the Turn2us phone
number on the staff notice board after her first contact with the
service. “It helps us to support people who would find grants very
difficult to access and has brought some real benefits for our
clients”.
Read other
success stories
Find out how you
can contribute your story
Last updated: 24 February 2010
