Bridges Mission Statement Bridges offers services designed to help homeless and vulnerably housed people in Newham (and

the surrounding area) to bridge the gap between social exclusion and mainstream society. We seek to meet the physical, material, emotional, and spiritual needs of our clients, primarily through the provision of a free hot-breakfast service, and friendly, supportive conversation on Saturday mornings. Bridges is a non-profit organisation that has grown out of the work of Memorial Community Church, Plaistow. The services offered by Bridges are open to all, and we aim to ensure that no-one is excluded from them on the basis of their race, gender, age, disability, sexuality, social standing, history of homelessness, religious beliefs, ethnic or national origin, or refugee status. It is the aim of Bridges that the services we offer will assist clients to grow in selfesteem and self-respect, essential for meaningful and long-lasting social reintegration. To this end, Bridges seeks to produce a safe environment within which clients and volunteers can work together in partnership. Bridges will not tolerate violent, abusive, or otherwise intimidating behaviours from either serviceusers or service-providers. The work of Bridges is grounded in and motivated by the Christian faith of its founders and of many of its volunteers. Bridges desires to express to our clients through meaningful action and active listening the wholeness of Gods love. Bridges is staffed by volunteers drawn from the local area. We are committed to building up the volunteer team that delivers Bridges services so that it grows into a mature, strong, and faithful body, and we undertake to encourage members of that team in their diverse gifts and skills. Bridges recognises that its volunteers are instrumental in delivering all that we offer to clients, and seeks to ensure that all members of the team are both adequately trained in and regularly consulted about organisational policies and practices. Within the volunteer team, and across the organisation as a whole, Bridges explicitly values the input that is provided by clients and former clients. We aim to nurture user-involvement at all levels of Bridges, and wherever possible to be user-led in all that we do. Bridges seeks to operate alongside other local and national agencies that offer support to the same (or similar) client groups. It is the desire of Bridges that we will persistently improve, develop, and extend our own existing provision, in order to meet more fully and more adequately the needs presented by all who make use of our services.