Football Club raises money for George House Trust

posted: 09/12/2010

George House Trust would like to say a big thank you to the Albaroni Football Club, who's team raised funds and awareness about HIV, as part of World AIDS Day 2010.

The young players wore red ribbons and heard a talk about HIV as well as collecting funds to support Geroge House Trust's work.

Sign Up - Great Manchester Run

posted: 16/11/2010

You can now sign up to run with Team GHT in the 10km Great Manchester Run in mid May 2011. We are very pleased to have 85 places for Team George House Trust runners on Sunday May 15th 2011.
 

Run with us
Team GHT Places are open to all runners, including people wanting to run with Team GHT for their first time. We want a big turnout of runners and supporters – the sponsorship money you raise helps us provide vital quality support services to people living with HIV in North West England.

Book now

The Great Manchester Run is always overbooked, so be sure to reserve your GHT Team place now.
To book one of our 85 running places, please send a cheque for £36.00, payable to George House Trust. Please write your details - name, email address, telephone number and postal address on the back of the cheque, or another piece of paper.
Send your cheque and details to:
GMR 2011, Christy Lau, George House Trust, 77 Ardwick Green North, Manchester, M12 6FX
 

The £36.00 pays Great Manchester Run’s charges for registering you. We can refund this later, if you wish, once we have received at least £150 in sponsorship for you. However to maximise the money we raise, we hope you will meet this cost yourself.
 

Team GHT Offer

What we offer you as part of Team GHT:

• Team GHT running vest
• Free after run massage from our friends at the Active Health Group
• Training support from Manchester FrontRunners
• Safe bag and clothes storage at the Manchester Convention Centre (GMEX)
• After run party at a city centre venue, including a free buffet
   

Some free places
We have a few free places for people who are cannot afford the £36 entry fee. If you need a free place, please contact Lynda by phone 0161 274 4499 or email

We will pull names out of a hat to choose who gets a free place.
 

Already signed up with Great Manchester Run?
If you already have booked a place on the Run through the Great Run's online registration page and want to be part of Team GHT, please email Lynda, or give her your details by phone 0161 274 4499. We will then keep you informed about sponsorship and all the Team GHT arrangements.
 

We look forward to meeting everyone again for another fantastic day!
 

Run pics on Flickr 

In the meantime, check out photographs of Team GHT at the 2010 Great Manchester Run on Flickr
 

Manchester Pride Raises £115,000

posted: 26/10/2010

Manchester Pride 2010 raised £115,000 for charity, bringing the total since 2003 to £895,000. This year’s total is rather less than the most Pride ever raised, which was last year: £135,000.
The £115,000 will be used to support the Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s ‘Free Condom and Lube’ scheme, the George House Trust HIV Welfare Fund, and in grants over the coming months to various lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups and projects across Greater Manchester.

HIV Welfare Fund 

The £115,000 will be split like this:
25% to the LGF Condom & Lube Scheme (£28,750), providing free condoms across Greater Manchester
25% to the George House Trust Welfare Fund (£28,750), supporting those living with or affected by HIV suffering financial hardship - apply here
50% to these three funds (£57,500 in total)

• Community Fast Track Fund
• Community Events Fund
• Development Fund

Jackie Crozier, festival director of Manchester Pride, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and we’re absolutely delighted with the figure. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that everyone who supported Manchester Pride 2010 has made a positive contribution to the future of the LGBT community in Greater Manchester.”

“Manchester Pride is a team effort and it wouldn’t be possible for us to stage the event we do without the help and support of so many organisations and individuals from across the city. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to each and every person who helped us along the way.”
 

Applying for Community and Development Fund grants

For more information on how to apply for any of the community grants available, visit Pride

Image George House Trust volunteers collecting in St Anns Square: Graeme Vaughan www.photogas.com graeme@photogas.com

Rise in Extreme HIV Poverty

posted: 19/10/2010

A new UK report shows one in six people with HIV are living in poverty. The new report on Poverty and HIV by NAT (National AIDS Trust) and Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) reveals at least one in six people diagnosed with HIV in the UK experienced severe poverty between 2006 and 2009. Furthermore, the level of poverty experienced by people living with HIV has dramatically increased over recent years. In the current climate – and without determined Government action – the poverty crisis for many people living with HIV will get even worse.

The HIV welfare charity Crusaid ran a welfare fund until it merged with THT earlier this year. This report looks back at the recent evidence of HIV poverty from all the applications for help made to Crusaid in the last three years.

Income falls two thirds in 10 years to £42 a week
People paid grants from the Crusaid Hardship Fund, now run by THT, had an average weekly income of just £42 per week – two thirds less income than the average person who claimed 10 years ago (£93). In addition, many have no income at all. Most applicants are now living in extreme poverty, living on only 20 per cent of the average income for a single person.

Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of THT commented:
“The level of poverty people with HIV are experiencing across the UK has dramatically increased over recent years. Where the Hardship Fund used to buy people a fridge, or pay for respite care, now it mainly goes on basic survival – food, clothes, a bed.”

Causes of HIV poverty

The report analyses the underlying reasons why people with HIV face poverty. Over a quarter (29 per cent) of applications to the Hardship Fund gave the immigration system as the main reason for poverty. In October 2009, the Government support for single asylum seekers was reduced from £64.30 to £35.13 a week - just £5 a day. A further 17 per cent of people said that problems relating to the benefits system were the main cause of hardship. These problems included awaiting a benefit decision, changes to the benefit system, or delays in receiving benefits they were entitled to.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), commented:
“Charities are picking up the pieces of a poverty crisis in the UK, but there is only so much the sector’s limited funds can do. The Government needs to address the underlying causes of this hardship, some of which it has been responsible for creating. Granting asylum seekers the right to work after six months and ensuring people are not left in poverty while waiting for their benefits to be processed are two crucial steps that would release many people with HIV out of the poverty trap.

20 ideas for change
The report makes twenty recommendations that would address the root causes of poverty amongst people living with HIV.

Benefit delays make homeless
James, 35 years old and HIV positive, is homeless and sometimes sleeps on floors at friend’s houses and occasionally in shop doorways. He came to the UK as an asylum seeker and was granted leave to remain here. He was then no longer eligible for housing with his asylum support, so he applied for housing benefit but he did not receive any payments. An investigation revealed that backlogs in dealing with benefits claims meant that by the time James’ claim was processed he was homeless and therefore did not qualify for the benefit. James was one of 7,900 people with HIV in the UK who relied on a grant from the Crusaid Hardship Fund in the last three years to pay for basic needs.

George House Trust
In 2009-10 George House Trust assisted 712 people with 3160 grants through both Crusaid and our own HIV welfare fund. George House Trust paid out £112,000 in grants to people with HIV in NW England in that year.

Poverty and HIV - download here

THT Hardship Fund Open

posted: 13/10/2010

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) Hardship Fund has now opened. People with HIV who need fnancial support can now apply for up to £100. In mid June Crusaid's Hardship Fund merged with Terrence Higgins Trust and the hardship fund closed temporarily. 

The replacement Hardship Fund service from Terrence Higgiins Trust will be fully working from April 2011. In the meantime George House Trust, which is the only approved referring agency in North West England, can apply to the THT hardship fund for grants of up to a maximum of £100 per person. People can't apply direct - they either need to apply through us, or use the Terrence Higgins Direct phone service: THT Direct on 0845 1221 200

If you live in NW England please speak to one of our service advisers for more details - 0161 274 4499. We can help in various ways, including through our own welfare fund, and with benefits and money advice.

Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of THT, said:

“For years the Hardship Fund has been an important resource, making a real difference to the lives of people with HIV, and THT is fully committed to preserving its legacy. We are working hard to get the national fund fully operational by next spring, and in the meantime we hope our interim fund will continue to help those who need it most.”
 

A report released this week by THT and the National AIDS Trust said that one in six people diagnosed with HIV make use of the fund, and that the majority of beneficiaries are living in “extreme” poverty, on just 20 per cent of the average weekly income. Read more about this here