12th December 2022

1,000 more people are set to benefit from crisis support, thanks to funding provided by CDL to the Oasis Centre in Gorton, East Manchester.

The donation will enable Oasis to recruit an additional team member for its Rebuild programme, increasing the capacity of the service to support more people to access a supportive community, establishing stability in their lives as they move out of addiction, debt or isolation.

The Oasis Centre provides a free café, charity shop, and crisis support service, and last year supported over 1,500 people in crisis.

A longstanding supporter of the Oasis Centre, CDL already funded its Reskill programme, which supports people to improve literacy, IT skills, language, numeracy and life skills to equip them for the workplace, as well as contributing to greater confidence and quality of life outcomes. Last year, over 340 people accessed the adult education programme.

Speaking about the relationship with CDL, Oasis founder, Victoria Armstrong, said: "We are immensely blessed to have enjoyed the support of CDL ever since they first funded an IT programme for us. Since then, their increasing input has enabled us to expand first the Reskill and more recently the Rebuild programme.

"It was clear to us from the start that CDL understood our vision of providing a place of acceptance for everyone, whatever their background, and of creating a welcoming community where they could be supported to turn their lives around, and this is exactly what is happening."

Oasis Centre customers speak highly of the support they are able to find there. One regular said: "If it wasn't for Oasis, I don't think my kids would have eaten last week. I had a problem with my benefits. It was a computer error. Oasis calmed me down gave me food and sorted out the problem. I was too angry to ring myself. If I had done, I would have lost the plot."

Other outcomes include a lady who is now able to read, enabling her to go shopping with confidence and read food labels to understand what she is buying. Others have gained the English language skills to be able to communicate with those around them. Another client said: "I have been treated with understanding and respect. The environment is peaceful. This place has been a huge help in hard times".

CDL Director of People, Frank Robinson, said: "It has been a privilege to work with the Oasis Centre over the years and to witness the incredible difference their work makes to the lives of local people. This is what inspired us to get more involved and we are delighted to be able to help them to support expand their crisis support, especially in these times of economic hardship."

The Oasis Centre is a lifeline to hundreds of people in East Manchester including families living on benefits, long-term unemployed, asylum seekers and refugees, homeless people, ex-offenders, people struggling with alcohol and drug dependency, people struggling with mental, emotional, learning, and cognitive difficulties.