REMOVING BARRIERS THROUGH POSITIVE STEPS

Mental health issues, learning disabilities, substance misuse, homelessness and poverty - these are just some of the barriers that can hold people back from leading a fulfilled, independent life.

And sometimes, help to overcome challenges like these can be hard to find - that’s where Positive Steps comes in.

Based in Scotland, this Christian charity offers an outreach service for disadvantaged people in the community, temporary accommodation services, Repeat Homeless Prevention Services, and housing support for people with challenging behaviour.

Further afield, the organisation helps to fund education and training projects supporting children and neglected groups, in Brazil, India and Malawi.

Managing the charity's payments 

Positive Steps relies on efficient processing of its payments to beneficiaries in the UK and overseas, to help keep all of its projects running smoothly.

Finance manager, Morag Gudmunsen, explains the value of a supportive banking partner: “The international transfers that we make around 10 times per year are easy to complete and are usually processed quickly, with no delay. This allows our projects to carry out their work without interruption.

"Also, any payments to suppliers or local authorities can all be managed very easily using CAF Bank’s online banking service, thus maximising payees' cashflow, as well as ours.”

Morag added: "CAF Bank also makes routine payments including salaries and standing orders easy to set up and monitor", which is essential for a charity that has a hand in projects across different locations.

Supporting communities near and far

In India, the charity is involved in a project which enables sex workers in India to learn new skills and secure safer employment opportunities.

As part of the project, the charity runs a home, the House of Hope, offering a safe space and before and after school classes for children of sex workers, as well as orphaned children. 

The organisation has also opened a hospice in the area for children who are terminally ill after acquiring HIV.

In Brazil, the charity helped to fund the building of a new school dining hall,  so children can enjoy nourishing meals before returning home.

Close to home, the charity provides specialist housing and support in Dundee. Typically it works with people who struggle to cope in the community and those who find it hard to access mainstream services. This could be because of mental health issues, learning difficulties, a history of offending, institutionalised living or substance misuse.

The charity leases property from housing providers and sub-lets fully furnished accommodation to people in need helping tenants build their skills and confidence to live more independently.

For new tenants who have been homeless many times, the organisation offers extra assistance through essential supplies like food, payment of utility bills, and collecting benefits.