THE BENJAMIN FOUNDATION
www.icenimagazine.co.uk
Issue 85 2020
The Benjamin Foundation The Benjamin Foundation is a local charity which helps people across Norfolk and Suffolk to deal with some of the challenges that life throws at them. Whether it’s the prevention of youth homelessness, helping families to build stronger relationships or providing positive activities for young people with limited opportunities, our work brings hope, opportunity, stability and independence to the people we support.
Lily’s Story: The Chance To Give Back
With COVID-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus, having a massive impact on entire communities, one young person supported by The Benjamin Foundation has seized the opportunity to give something back. Having secured a job at a local care home, Lily*, aged 17, was also given a boost by the charity’s Young Person’s Fund - made possible by supporters of Sleep Out, our annual fundraising event.
Lily has been living at The Hub in King’s Lynn since November 2019. Having always wanted a caring job, she was thrilled when she was offered the post of a Healthcare Assistant at a care home in the town. She is especially pleased to be able to play a positive role in the community during the Coronavirus crisis. “I was really nervous when I went for the interview. But they said they were excited to have me on the team and offered me a contract. I was honestly made up.”
With the job offer dependent on a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, Lily was anxious about how she would pay for this. However, with the ‘Young Person’s Fund’ made possible thanks to support from The Benjamin Foundation Sleep Out events, it was possible to pay for her DBS check quickly and easily ensuring Lily could take up her new position without delay. “The Young Person’s Fund paying for my DBS check took a massive pressure off my shoulders, because I was worried about how I would pay for this myself.”
Now, she has overcome this barrier and is looking forward to her next steps to independence by commencing her job helping local elderly people.
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