Help people to belong

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Homelessness can be an incredibly lonely experience

Hundreds of people will walk by a rough sleeper without acknowledging them, will keep their head down, avoid eye contact and not say a word.

With no home. No family or friends around them. Nowhere to turn to or people to talk with. No money or energy to take part in activities.

Research shows that homeless people experience the highest rates of social isolation, feeling left out or excluded from their community.

As though they don’t belong.

But YOU can change that.

Simply by texting 2BELONG to 70085 to donate £2 or texting 2021BELONG to donate £5, you can help us to be there for people who have lost their sense of belonging through experiencing homelessness.

It's important to help people to feel they belong

Belonging is the human emotional need to be accepted as part of a group.

Loneliness and feeling as though you don’t belong can be so all-consuming that it can impact a person’s mental health, confidence and belief that they deserve to be a part of society at all, making it that much harder for them to move away from homelessness and seek support.

Making it feel like much more of a challenge when they do find somewhere to call home and want to reconnect with society, to join a group or to find employment.

But everyone deserves to feel like they belong, as though they’re a part of something or have people that care.

Petrus gives people a safe place where they can belong. We are here to provide support to those who have experienced homelessness as they work to rebuild their lives.

We offer opportunities to empower people to develop their skills and confidence, are there beside them as they seek professional support around substance misuse and mental health, to build strong supportive relationships with them as they make positive changes, and we also deliver activities that act as ways to connect and socialise with members of the community through our Hub and PIER allotment.

Please text 2BELONG to 70085 to donate £2 or text 2021BELONG to 70085 to donate £5 and help us to be there for people who have lost their sense of belonging through experiencing homelessness.

Artwork by our service users supported through the Greater Manchester Housing First pilot.

What does BELONGING mean to our service users and staff?

"My belonging comes from how the staff make me feel. They give me a sense of belonging within the Petrus community, and I cannot thank you all enough."