Angela Rayner MP Praises "Incredible Work" of PATH
Adults participating in an innovative learning course in Haverfordwest had a visit today (August 21st) from Angela Rayner MP, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
PATH (Pembrokeshire Action for the Homeless) have been running the Numeracy Project this year following a successful application to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Numeracy Project is aimed at adults aged 19+ who want to build confidence with numbers, improve employability, gain a qualification or simply manage their finances better to support their daily living. Many of these issues are leading causes of homelessness within Pembrokeshire.
The homelessness charity also provides mental health counselling and support workers at the sessions so that the learners get a complete wraparound service. Mrs Rayner called this an “incredible extra that people get” in addition to improving their maths skills.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who herself left education with no formal qualifications, spent a lot of time talking with the learners about how the project has not only improved their numeracy skills, but also benefited their mental health, social anxiety and loneliness.
“It’s not just the numeracy, but the social interaction, the confidence… you can see firsthand the incredible work that’s going on here,” she said in a discussion with PATH Managing Director, Michael Hooper.
“You can also see some of the structural problems here that we see across the whole of the UK, for example social housing.”
Mrs Rayner said that the housing situation has got “chronically worse” since PATH started in 1979 and this is a topic she was “keen to address” with the new Labour Government now in place.
One learner, Salastina Victor, spoke to Mrs Rayner about her challenges prior to joining the Numeracy Project and how she now runs her own successful business.
“To see the lady who went from domestic violence and not having numeracy skills, to running her own business and having the confidence that you can see there… it’s incredible that you can do that. Thank you you for all the work you do together,” Mrs Rayner said to the PATH team in a discussion after meeting the learners.
In total the project has received £550,000 but funding now runs out at the end of the year. With over 75 learners how signed up the project, with a total of 100 expected to be onboard by the end of the year, gaining extra funding is vital for the project to be able to continue.
PATH is currently going through a consultation process as it applies for future funding and require as much feedback as possible. You can fill in their survey here for a chance to win a £50 Tesco voucher and help shape the future of this vital service.