Jobs 22 announces over £211k of funding for three life-changing organisations thanks to its new Community Investment Fund.

Jobs 22, prime provider of employment services to those in East Central England via the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Restart Scheme, is delighted to announce the first three local organisations to receive funding from its Community Investment Fund. The Community Investment Fund, funded by and part of the Restart Scheme, has awarded a total of £211,156.00 to Belina Grow, Great Health Care and Living Without Abuse, who will all benefit from this initial funding round.

The Community Investment Fund was established to support local projects that create sustainable changes for individuals and their communities. Jobs 22 recognises the importance of community organisations in tackling the issues faced by residents in their local area and providing the necessary support to individuals to help them move closer to the job market.

The three successful projects are:

Belina Grow CIC was established in 2023 to empower mothers outside the labour market into work, training, and volunteering. Thanks to the Community Investment Fund, they can create a supportive community programme and offer direct pathways to work. They aim to engage with 90 people and six community organisations and develop unique partnerships with Children's Centres, Employability organisations, Leicester College, and Adult Education.

Great Health Care CIC (GHC) was founded in 2022 and focuses on supporting refugees. Their support from the Community Investment Fund will allow them to extend their services to 125 refugees living in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire. Their primary focus is improving the language skills of refugees, and they plan to provide ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses at their offices and via distance learning. They will also address six key challenges: language barriers, cultural adjustment, social integration, unemployment, skills and education, and financial strain.

Living Without Abuse (LWA) is a specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence charity, providing trauma-informed one-to-one services and group support in the community to survivors across Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland. The Community Investment Fund funding will sustain a volunteer programme supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. It will also help 95 volunteers improve their employability and access paid work. This programme will positively impact abuse survivors and help meet the demand for support.

Ayden Sims, CEO of Jobs 22, said: "We are proud to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the organisations and individuals making a difference in our community. This funding will help continue this important work and help those in need across the East Central region where we deliver the Restart Scheme. We are delighted to support these three

organisations and look forward to seeing the impact of these inspiring projects in the coming months."

Stanislas Faure, Director of Employer Services and Social Impact Programmes, shared: “We are proud to launch our initial wave of grants to support these charities and their projects. Our aim is not only to help individuals, but also to empower entire communities. Through the Community Investment Fund, we hope to cultivate a culture of best practices and knowledge sharing, so that successful initiatives can be scaled up and become mainstream.”

The Community Investment Fund will reopen for new applications later this year. For more information about Jobs 22's Community Investment Fund, please visit www.jobs22.co.uk/cif.