Dallas Street Resource Centre is a community interest company located in Mansfield. During school terms we operate as East Midlands Vocational Academy (EMVA), an innovative organisation with the aim of providing vocational courses for young people ages 12-16 in the North Nottinghamshire area who need something different to a classical school environment. A number of the young people who attend our centre have come from disadvantaged backgrounds where poverty, crime and drugs are major issues. We aim to provide vocational courses to our young people but also offer support and direction away from such negative pathways.

As part of the community interest company, we would like to be able to offer these services to more people of all ages across the local areas.

We have also identified a need for somewhere for the homeless and vulnerable to go for food, safety, clothing shelter. We are seeing increasing numbers of homelessness and vulnerability within the Mansfield area and there is a lot of negativity that surrounds this from the general public, which we believe is an inaccurate perception that we would like to change.

Our aim is to be able to utilise our building and experienced staff during the evenings, weekends and term holidays to provide a safe environment, food, clothing, company and to run workshops to the homeless and other vulnerable people within the local community. The workshops will include functional skills, interview skills, careers advice and a welcoming environment. We want to be able to offer a befriending service, providing service users with the chance to meet new people and gain confidence. We would also like to bring the Mansfield community together as one.

These services will be offered to those considered as vulnerable and in need. We want to help those living homeless, living alone, out of employment and those who are in employment but who may be struggling to support themselves or their families in the current economic climate. Though all are welcome and as I have mentioned, we aim for the Mansfield community to come together as one offering support to one another.

We need to raise funds to be able to achieve all of this, the local community have already started to donate clothing for a clothes bank and local food companies are donating food products for a food bank.

We are holding a charitable event here at Dallas Street Resource Centre on the 5th May, 2019. The event is adults only evening of live music and entertainment, with 11 acts and artists that have kindly offered to perform live at no cost. There will be pop up restaurants, refreshments, games, raffles and auctions. All money raised will be contributed to the cause.

We are asking for donations from people who cannot attend the event through JustGiving, if this is something you can do, it will be greatly appreciated! Thank you.