How you can help the charity protecting vulnerable women for over 50 years with The Big Give Campaign

Contact is a charity providing accommodation and practical support for homeless teenage girls from the Manchester area.

For over five decades, Contact Hostel has been a sanctuary for vulnerable teenage girls in Manchester, offering more than just a roof over their heads; it provides a lifeline, a second chance, and the promise of a brighter future.

Manchester’s homeless numbers are the third highest in the UK outside of London, with over 4,000 homeless children (Shelter 2024).

Homelessness disrupts education and employment, worsening youth unemployment.

With 526,000 young people unemployed in 2023 (NEET Survey), urgent support is needed.

Contact provide housing and guidance to break this cycle, helping vulnerable teens build brighter futures.

The hostel’s story is rooted in compassion and the unwavering belief that no young woman should face homelessness alone.

It all started with one woman’s determination to make a difference, and today, it continues to transform lives. But now they need your help!

Contact Hostel

They have helped nearly 1000 young women get back on their feet and help them move on to better, happier futures.

People who use the service may have experienced relationship breakdowns, domestic violence, forced marriage, threatened abduction and even physical and emotional abuse.

Contact has seven bedrooms in their main house and two in our move-on accommodation, offering a welcoming and homely atmosphere in the heart of South Manchester.

They also offer pivotal help to young women with the next stage, whether they want to return to education, start a job or explore training opportunities.

Contact and The Big Give Campaign

They are getting involved with The Big Give Campaign week between the 23rd and 30th of June, are are hoping to raise £5000 over the week.

But how does it work? All donations made via BigGive.org during this period will be doubled, so raising £5,000 will bring £10,000 to the charity.

This amount of money could make a huge difference to Contact, and this campaign is a fantastic opportunity to raise funds and provide a safe home for girls in need.

Who will your donations help?

We spoke to one of the service users who your donations will be helping.

Zoe arrived at Contact Hostel when she was 17 after a breakdown in family relationships left her without a safe place to stay.

Without a stable home environment, she struggled to find a quiet place to study and focus on her education. Upon joining Contact, she was given her own room in the main house, complete with a dedicated study desk, and access to the hostel’s learning hub, a quiet space designed for coursework and exam preparation.

With the support of her key worker, she was able to settle in and develop the skills necessary for independent living.

Despite the challenges she faced, Zoe remained determined to pursue her dream of working in the legal sector. With the stability offered by Contact, she was able to complete her A-Levels and successfully secure a place at university to study law.

However, rising student accommodation costs created uncertainty about where she would live. The housing crisis in Manchester further heightened her risk of struggling to afford rent or dropping out of university altogether.

To ensure that she could fully concentrate on her studies without the stress of housing insecurity, Contact made the decision to allow her to stay for the duration of her first year at university. While this is a longer stay than usual for the charity’s residents, it is a crucial step in supporting Zoe’s future.

Beyond housing support, Contact is also working to arrange valuable work experience for Zoe through one of the charity’s local supporters. This opportunity will help her gain real-world experience in the legal field and build the professional connections she needs to achieve her career goals.

Zoe’s key worker, Alex, shared: “Zoe is an ambitious and responsible individual.

“She has worked so hard to get to where she is now, and I know that she will go on to achieve whatever she puts her mind to.

“It is a pleasure to support her here at Contact, and I look forward to seeing what the future has to hold for her.”

Zoe’s story exemplifies the vital role Contact Hostel plays in transforming young lives. By offering a stable base, essential resources and long-term support, Contact is empowering young women like Zoe to overcome adversity and work towards a brighter future.

A member of staff at Contact who didn’t want to be named, stressed the importance of the charity’s work in the community.

They said: “Our regular support sessions with the girls help them stay on the right track. Environment plays a huge part in people’s ability.

“The Big Give is huge for us to continue the work we do here, hitting a £5000 target, which is our aim, and getting that doubled will be so impacting for us, donations go towards anything from making sure the girls have brand new bedding in their own cosy private room with toiletries when they arrive at Contact, to getting them the right tools for their studies, from books to laptops.

“Our support staff are on site 24/7 to make sure the girls are supported, safe and well looked after.”

How can you help Contact?

Here are a few ways you could support the campaign:

• Hold a fundraiser or collection at your workplace – even a small coffee morning or similar would be amazing.
• Take on a sponsored activity
• Share, share, share – Once the campaign is live on social media
• Donate via BigGive.org – If you’re short on time but would still like to support the campaign, making a donation during the match-funding week is a simple and impactful way to help.

So if you want to help, add a calendar reminder to your diary for 23^rd-30^th June, including this link https://bit.ly/contactbiggive.

The donate button will appear on this page when the campaign starts at 12pm (midday) on 23^rd June.

If you have the means to do so, please donate to this amazing charity.