Heart of Tamworth

Heart of Tamworth (HoT) is a charity working with residents of Tamworth and the surrounding area to deliver practical support to those experiencing ill health, addiction, bereavement, homelessness, financial worries, and loneliness.

Their centre, Sacred Heart House, includes a café, shop, and a pantry, as well as social spaces to serve their community’s ever-changing needs. Certain services they provide are delivered directly by HoT staff whilst others are provided by partner organisations with whom HoT have a working relationship.

In 2023 The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation (AGCF) was able to support Heart of Tamworth with a grant award of £35,000 toward the construction of the HoT Shop and Community Pantry. This facility delivers HoT’s food and clothing project, by which service users can access stock provided by a team of volunteers who collect surplus food from supermarkets – supplemented by items sourced from FareShare and other similar organisations. AGCF’s grant facilitated the expansion of the shop, ensuring that HoT was able to keep up with local demand.

Having established a relationship with Heart of Tamworth and its organisers, AGCF has again been able to support HoT with a grant awarded at our December trustee meeting. This new grant of £21,330 will fund the delivery of HoT’s Homeless Support Project, which supports homeless people into temporary accommodation from which they are able to secure more permanent living situations.

Where possible, the project focusses on moving homeless people into sustainable, independent living situations, and support them with applications to housing associations, completing forms for healthcare, and benefits where eligible. Individuals are helped with budget planning and other assistance such as obtaining furniture and household goods.

Over two years, the project will help 80 homeless individuals/families access temporary housing, with 60 of these service users moving into permanent accommodation. 70 people engaged in the project will access education and training, or move into volunteering or paid employment.

Find out more about Heart of Tamworth