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- CARING FOR LIFE
- INTRODUCTORY LEAFLET
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-
- 1. What is Caring For Life?
- 2. Who does Caring For Life help?
- 3. How does Caring For Life help?
- 4. Why does Caring For Life help?
- 5. Can you help?
- 6. Contact!
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- 1. What is Caring For Life?
- ===========================
- Caring For Life is a registered Christian charity
- established in 1987 to help the growing number of
- homeless and inadequately cared for young people.
-
- Caring For Life was formed by Christians who were
- concerned to provide practical and down to earth help
- for vulnerable young people.
-
-
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- 2. Who does Caring For Life help?
- =================================
- Caring For Life helps those who have become homeless,
- including:
- those who suffer from behavioural disorders or
- psychological problems resulting from serious
- physical, sexual or emotional abuse;
-
- those with psychiatric disorders;
-
- young people who have left care and have no where
- to go or no one to turn to;
-
- those with a history of offending;
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- those with moderate to severe learning difficulties;
-
- Without help these young people may turn to crime,
- drug and alcohol abuse or prostitution. The despair
- which homelessness or loneliness brings leads some to
- attempt suicide.
-
- These young people do not just need a "roof over their
- head". They need friendship, support, encouragement,
- advice and training to assist them in their progression
- towards independence, dignity and self respect.
-
-
-
- 3. How does Caring For Life help?
- =================================
- Caring For Life seeks to care for the overall needs of
- homeless young people in the following ways....
-
- *The Residential Project at Tindall House in Leeds,
- provides a home for young men for as long as they wish
- to stay. The emphasis is on providing a very stable and
- secure environment in which meaningful relationships
- can be formed, whilst also encouraging the young people
- to develop their own potential and to gradually gain
- the life skills they need. The lack of any cut off point
- or time limit on length of stay has helped many young
- people to find the emotional security they need and to
- ultimately enable them to move on into their own
- independent living accommodation.
-
- *The Resettlement Project, initially funded by a
- Department of the Environment Section 73 grant, assists
- homeless young people by locating accommodation,
- furniture and furnishings and then providing long-term
- support and life-skills training to enable the young
- person to maintain their tenancy.
-
- Discussion with other agencies confirmed our opinion that
- simply to provide accommodation for the young single
- homeless is only the first step in meeting their needs.
- All agencies stress the need for the provision of
- thorough resettlement work, such as life skills training,
- individual counselling and long term support. This is
- particularly vital for young people who have learning
- difficulties, have been in care, had no family support
- or who suffer from emotional or psychiatric disturbance.
-
- *The Agricultural and Horticultural Projects are based
- at Crag House Farm, Caring For Life's headquarters.
- The farm provides a therapeutic environment where both
- disabled and able-bodied young people can participate in:
-
- work experience schemes, which have enabled many
- homeless young people previously classed as
- "unemployable", to begin to bring a sense of order
- into their lives, to acquire a sense of
- responsibility and in some cases to attain
- full-time employment;
-
- production of a variety of vegetables, bedding
- plants and shrubs. The entire process has been
- structured to enable full participation by disabled
- young people;
-
- learning to care for and relate to animals an
- activity which can ultimately enable damaged young
- people to relate more adequately to their fellow
- human beings;
-
- *The Day Care Centre at the farm offers kitchen
- facilities, social and recreational opportunities,
- advice, counselling, support and ongoing friendship
- to young people.
-
- *Training courses are offered, including specialist
- parenting courses, devised and supervised by a
- Research Psychologist. These help young people who
- have suffered abuse and deprivation as children to
- talk through their own difficulties and to learn to
- be responsible parents or carers.
-
-
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- 4. Why does Caring For Life help?
- =================================
- Caring For Life believes that each human being is made
- in God's image and is the object of His love and should
- therefore be treated with dignity, honour and respect.
- No person is of any greater intrinsic value or worth
- than another and none ought to be despised, looked down
- upon or discriminated against.
-
- The motto of Caring For Life has become very simply,
- "Sharing the love of Jesus". That which motivates us to
- love others is the undeserved love of God which He
- demonstrated for the world in sending His Son, Christ
- Jesus. Our commitment to others is a responsive love
- to God's undeserved love for us.
-
- This underlying basis, combined with compassionate and
- consistent care has enabled many very damaged and
- disturbed young people to attain a sense of self-respect
- and dignity and to begin to relate to other people in a
- way which was previously impossible.
-
-
-
- 5. Can you help?
- ================
- Much more needs to be done but a start has been made
- and considerable success enjoyed. Young people who
- previously had no hope for the future are beginning to
- develop a real sense of security, self confidence and
- self respect. Some have obtained full time employment,
- some have ceased offending and many have gone on to
- live in their own accommodation.
-
- However, funds are urgently needed in order to continue
- and expand. Will you help us ?
-
- Please help us to provide the young people we care for
- with all that is necessary to replace their despair
- with hope, fears with security, uncertainty with
- direction and loneliness with friendship.
-
- If you would like any further information about the
- work of Caring For Life or if you would like to make
- a donation, please contact us at:
-
-
-
- 6. Contact!
- ===========
- CARING FOR LIFE
- Crag House Farm
- Cookridge
- LEEDS
- LS16 7NH
- UK
- Tel no: 0113 2612131
-
- Charity Registration No. 519138
-