Boomerang wins Safeguarding Award On 20 November 2020 Cardiff and Vale Regional Safeguarding Boards held their annual awards ceremony. Paul Gwilym CEO/Founder of Boomerang Cardiff who had been nominated by Sarah Capstick from The Third Sector Council for the category of Significant Wider Community Safeguarding Award who wrote: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boomerang Cardiff which is spearheaded by Paul Gwilym has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure that homeless families and individuals are still receiving furniture when moving into an empty property in order to directly combat material deprivation, and to try and stop an identified recurring homelessness problem within our city. Paul fully recognises that the problems that were out there before the pandemic, are still out there, but are receiving a lot less attention as Covid-19 is taking precedence. The knock on adverse effects to a person who has come from homelessness can potentially become catastrophic if they cannot simply cook a meal or have sleep on the floor of an unfurnished property. Through a robust service level agreement with The Housing Option Centre of Cardiff City Council, since the 31st March 2020 they have facilitated the positive move on of 237 families or individuals who have received a full home starter pack, giving them the bare essentials they need in order to live, and to focus on the sometimes very complex issues that have had a hand in making them homeless in the first place. They fully believe that they are playing their part in safeguarding one the most important things to people right now beside their health, their tenancy. They have been told by many of the people that we have helped that living in an empty with no furniture is essentially the same as sitting on the streets, but with the added financial responsibilities. They fully recognise that nobody becomes homeless simply because they do not have a bed, or a sofa. However, when moving into an empty property it is the very first thing you worry about ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some of the fantastic nominations included The Welsh Blood Service, The Integrated Autism Service and Mirus Wales to name just a few. There was fierce competition for this category and it was an honour to be nominated, let alone become the eventual winners!