Supporting people and giving hope isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes, it means walking alongside them as they navigate challenges they expected to face.
With the rising cost of living, even students—people striving for a better future—are struggling. Over the past few months, we’ve regularly been linking students with the support available to them, ensuring they can access food, housing help, and financial advice.
Recently, we’ve even been helping international students. But with restrictions due to student finance and limited access to support, some fall through the cracks. The reality is, not every student has a safety net. Some are far from home, without family to turn to, and the pressures of university life only make things harder.
One student, in particular, has been facing unique challenges—not just financial struggles, but difficulty accessing support due to their packed study schedule. Many services, including ours, operate during times when they are in lectures or completing assignments. It’s been tough, but we’ve found ways to help.
By being flexible with our laundry service, connecting them with a local support worker (who also happens to volunteer with us too!), and adjusting collection times to fit their schedule, we’ve been able to ease some of the burden. Because at Matthew’s House, helping starts with getting to know the person, listening to their story, and figuring out what will actually make a difference.
Sometimes, it works right away. Sometimes, we need to bring in more help. But most of the time, we find a way—even a small way—to share hope.
After a few times of helping with food and laundry, this student shared something that stuck with us:
“I feel like I’ve tried everything else, and this is truly helping me as I manage my lectures and complete my assignments. This week, I have 2,000 words to write… so I best get going!”
They left that day with clean clothes, some food, and—most importantly—a bit of encouragement. And that’s what Matthew’s House is all about.