This week we have opened our new Resident’s IT Suite, which boasts new computers funded by The Edward Gostling Foundation, in a newly built room funded by an anonymous foundation. A spokesperson from The Edward Gostling Foundation said “We are delighted to support Caritas Anchor House with a grant towards their new IT suite and hope access to this facility enables many more people gain access to various services and courses which will prove beneficial to them.”

The computers were previous in the main area of our residents lounge, but this new suite gives our residents a modern, comfortable and private IT Suite. One of our residents told us “Having a IT suite will now make it so much easier for us to use the computers without distraction, for things like job searches and my college study. I like the bright orange paint too!”

Access to computers with internet access and Microsoft packages is a great asset for our residents as they can use these to search for jobs, look for housing on the bidding system, find local services and events, and use them for general everyday use.

As part of their journey at Caritas Anchor House our residents have access to e-learning courses, which range from Food Safety and Hygiene to Personal Development. These are very popular as they are easily accessible and residents can be supported through the courses by our Education, Training and Employment team. In fact last year we recorded 136 IT sessions!

These online courses not only help our residents gain qualifications which help them into employment and training opportunities, but also help  them to discover new career paths and options which they may not have had access to.

“We are really happy with our new refurbished IT Suite, and as the IT and Digital Specialist at CAH I look forward to encouraging and supporting  residents in  using this new area to access IT facilities” – Femi, our IT and Digital Specialist

Access to IT is an important step to gaining independence for our residents, and so we are incredibly grateful to the funders and supporters who made this possible.

The completion of this room also marks a big step in the refurbishment of our resident’s lounge which we hope to complete by the end of September. Stay up to date with new developments by signing up to newsletter here:  https://www.caritasanchorhouse.org.uk/newsletter