West Harton Churches Action Station Ltd, South Shields
Shorlisted for the 2007 Community Inclusion Award, this advice and educational centre seeks to combat loneliness, depression and bereavement by providing a wide range of services including a community café, vocational courses, work placements, free debt advice and advocacy.   The local community, a former coalmining town in South Tyneside, has high levels of unemployment, poor health, high levels of debt and addiction.  The Action Station aims to respond to these issues in a flexible and effective manner. The centre was founded by a partnership of local churches and currently serves 26,000 users per year. 

Cornerstone - Forever Fostering
Cornerstone is the fostering project of CARE, a national Christian charity. Based in the North East of England, the project was initiated in 1999 by a Christian couple on Teeside in order to recruit Christian foster carers who could provide loving and stable homes to sibling groups. CARE took over management of the project in 2002. For more information visit www.cornerstonenortheast.co.uk

Open Door, Tyneside
Winner of the Faithworks Spring Harvest Community Innovation Award for New Projects 2006. This new project is seeking within the next three years to eradicate the need for failed asylum seekers to sleep outdoors in Newcastle upon Tyne. There are no other agencies providing either long or short-term housing in Newcastle for people in this situation. Visit their website at www.opendoors.uk.com

Elizabeth House, Gateshead
Elizabeth House provides 24 hour supported accommodation to 8 homeless and vulnerable young women aged 16-25 who are either pregnant or have pre-school children. The project equips and supports these young mothers to develop the necessary life skills to live independently within the community in sustainable situations. Elizabeth House was shortlisted for the 2007 Improving the Lives of Children and Young People Award. For more information visit www.aquilaway.org/?id=eliz

Aquila Way wins prestigious Centre for Social Justice Award

A Tyneside homelessness charity has collected major honours in a national social justice award scheme. Aquila Way, based in Gateshead, has won an award for it’s “poverty fighting” from the Centre for Social Justice, a think tank originally established by Ian Duncan Smith.

Launched almost 25 years ago (by a group of Christian students) the charity provides supported accommodation for up to 50 homeless young people and their children across five projects based predominantly in Gateshead. 

Jo Grant, Aquila Way’s Chief Executive, said: “Our commitment to social justice stems from our Christian faith, motivating us to provide a response to those in need regardless of others personal beliefs or culture.”

“This award recognises the hard work of staff and volunteers and the young people themselves, seeing lives turned around and moving on positively into the future.”

The Aquila Way approach is attracting interest around the UK. Its project for homeless young women is being franchised to a charity in the East Midlands while police, the probation service and politicians are interested in the way it has cut re-offending dramatically, among young people coming into its projects out of custody.

More information on the charity is available from Chief Executive Jo Grant on 0191 4915700 or www.aquilaway.org

ENDS 18/07/08