A CHELMSLEY Wood homelessness and suicide prevention charity has been given a cash boost.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster, has given £4,900 of cash seized from criminals from the My Community Fund to the Push on Wellbeing (POW) team based at Lily’s Tea Parlour in the Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre.
The funding, financed by cash and assets stripped directly from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act, comes after the PCC visited founder Teresa Farrell and her dedicated team of volunteers to witness first-hand the life-saving support they provide to vulnerable individuals and families across the community.
Over the last year alone, POW has gifted more than 800 hot meals to people facing homelessness or fighting to live above the breadline.
Teresa said: “Lily’s Tea Parlour is named after my late mother, and right now, this safe space is needed more than ever before.
“My absolute passion is to help people who feel completely down and out, to offer them a light in the dark, and to remind them that life is good. Today is a gift and yesterday is in the past.
“Without this vital support from PCC Simon Foster, we simply wouldn’t have been able to expand our reach to help and support more people – including those who are in their darkest hours and contemplating suicide. This funding is quite literally a lifeline.”
Operating for 11 years, the project provides a crucial safety net.
Every week, the team welcomes struggling families alongside 10 to 15 homeless individuals.
Working together with local policing teams, POW provides wrap-around care that includes crisis intervention and vital suicide prevention outreach.
The mission is deeply personal for founder and chief executive Teresa, who founded the organisation after facing homelessness herself as a young mother with her nine-year-old son.
Mr Foster, said: “Teresa and her incredible team of volunteers represent the very best of our community. The dedication they show at Lily’s Tea Parlour every day provides an invaluable lifeline to struggling families, rough sleepers, and people in severe mental distress.
“By tackling homelessness and offering critical suicide prevention, POW directly supports our local policing efforts and prevents vulnerable people from slipping through the cracks. I am pleased to back them through the My Community Fund.”
