Thurrock Local Area Coordination
Project description
Solutions led by the community have been amazing and highlight the positive outcomes when we look within the community for solutions.
What was your response to Covid-19?
Thurrock has worked closely with the voluntary sector to provide an emergency response to those shielding to gain access to essential supplies such as food and medication. From pubs delivering food to elderly residents and key workers in their neighbourhood to community members putting together toiletry bags for rough sleepers or making scrubs for the NHS.
The team also supported Food Bank Centres to remain open whilst those volunteers who needed to shield were no longer able to help out at the centres.
They provided help in the delivering of food and medication to those individuals that presented with more complex issues so that there was the ability to have a good conversation with them around any other support they required whilst shielding.
Thurrock were in touch with colleagues in health helping to highlight those individuals that needed support to register as Cat A (groups that were shielding).
One of the key aims was to keep abreast of guidelines from the government and play an active role in reassuring communities, ensuring people had accurate and up to date information on what was available in the areas to access. LAC’s had a unique offer by having a foot within the local authority but also were embedded in the community and understood where the assets were so we could support a community led response.
What is the impact and benefit for people?
Messages from Individual
"Thank you very much for all your help and support I got the parcel pukka it was can you please thank everyone for me I really appreciate the help everyone has given me hope you have a great weekend mate and if I haven't told you enough thankyou and I’m glad I got u in my corner looking out for me ur the best ur a 💎💎💎💎
"Being linked up today with personal shopper plus they are sending an emergency pack out today weekly pack will start next week Thank You".
From a Colleague in Health
“This last couple of weeks we have been supporting a 104-year-old lady. We asked if she would she like to read but unfortunately, she cannot see enough to be able to read books/magazines. I called Ren and asked if she could support with audio books, the family informed me that they did not have access to a CD player. LAC managed to secure a brand-new CD player from donated funds and is sourcing audio CD’s for the patient to listen to. I have delivered the CD player this morning and the family and patient were really pleased and thanked everyone involved. Please can you give a special thank you to LAC".
Is the solution sustainable post-Covid?
The aim throughout the pandemic has been to provide support without creating dependency.
By giving individuals time to have a conversation about what they need and exploring with them the best community solutions, sustainability has been created.
New connections have been made with the community response and people really have come together as active citizens to help their neighbours, we are keen to nurture this now and develop it into something sustainable and this needs to be community led.
It will be important for communities to reflect on what has happened and how together we have come through this pandemic.
Time has been a common theme throughout how people have had time to get connected with their friends, their family and their neighbourhoods in a safe way.
Keeping in touch with each other and feeling part of something big not feeling socially isolated or marginalised.