Simplyhealth employees back homeless charity's Bristol mentoring programme
Thanks to a mentoring programme run by homeless charity St Mungo's, volunteers at the charity are set to pair up with employees from healthcare provider Simplyhealth to learn new skills for themselves and to help others.
Currently in its infancy, the Bristol Peer Advice Link (PAL) service aims to build on the success of the London based initiative which offers people who've been homeless and are now successfully living independently, the opportunity to volunteer to help others going through a similar experience.
The PAL service in London has also proved a positive way of helping formerly homeless people to develop their skills and get back into work. Since the service started in 2010, 45 per cent of all PAL volunteers have moved into paid employment, many for the first time.
PAL volunteers in London benefit from mentors - and Simplyhealth has stepped up to be mentors to the new PAL service in Bristol.
Kris Camm and Marianne Streames, both from Simplyhealth's Bristol office, are dedicating 3.5 hours a month to help kick start the programme in Bristol.
Simplyhealth has active community funds in four of its locations, Andover, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester, which exist to support charities and organisations in the local community. To contact the Bristol community fund please email amanda.willis@simplyhealth.co.uk. Visit www.facebook.com/simplyhealthuk to find out more on how Simplyhealth works with local and national charities.
To find out more about St Mungo's please visit www.mungos.org. For further information on Simplyhealth please visit www.simplyhealth.co.uk.
Kris Camm explains why he wanted to get involved: "I really wanted to get involved and to help make a difference to someone's life. The volunteers that Marianne and I will be working with have already made tremendous efforts to find homes. We want to support them to develop their own skills further; at the same time as they are helping others to sustain their tenancies I hope that our support will prove invaluable to them."
People can become homeless for many reasons, through relationship breakdowns, mental health problems, financial troubles. The PAL service is about helping people rebuild their lives. Our PAL volunteers will be providing people who have been homeless with advice on how to sustain their tenancies, set up bank accounts and connect into the community. At the same time the PAL volunteers will benefit from job coaching and advice from the Simplyhealth mentors so they can achieve their own potential. We are delighted that both Kris and Marianne have come on board to help us provide this much needed support
About Simplyhealth
We became Simplyhealth in 2009 after bringing together HSA, BCWA, LHF, HealthSure, Totally Active, our family of health companies have joined together over the last ten years to form Simplyhealth
In December 2011, we acquired Denplan Limited, the UK's leading dental payment plan specialist.
We've been providing healthcare solutions for 140 years, dedicated to serving our customers and patients through a variety of cash plans, dental plans, private medical insurance, self funded health plans and mobility and living aids
Simplyhealth is a trading name of Simplyhealth Access, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority
Simplyhealth as it stands today, now covers nearly four million people with health plans (more than any other company) and helps 20,000 companies with their employees' health
Simplyhealth is committed to making a positive impact on its communities. Each year, we donate over £1 million to health related charities and causes
About St Mungo's
St Mungo's runs over 100 projects across London and the South, providing accommodation for around 1,700 residents each night. The charity supports people with housing, health and work opportunities, helping people to rebuild a life away from homelessness. Contact the PAL scheme in Bristol on 0117 9440581,
Gemma Hollingshead, St Mungo's press office, on 020 8762 5570.
Disclaimer
The information contained in these articles is intended to be for general interest, and should not be relied upon for specific conditions or complaints. You should always consult your GP or other healthcare practitioner for specific advice. The information provided is not the opinion of Simplyhealth and has been sourced through a third party.