Oasis Living RoomsCreating warmth and community this winter

“What does a space like this mean? It means community. It means feeling that you’re not alone. And the food helps – you know your child has had something to eat, it relieves the pressure.” – Keisha, South London. 

Our basic principles for a Living Room are simple:

• A warm space, giving people an alternative to using energy at home
• Simple food, doing a little bit to relieve pressure on household budgets
• Community, supporting each other and making life feel less lonely when times are hard

If you are able to give the equivalent of one month’s Energy Bill Support payment, you will fund one of our Oasis Living Rooms for a whole week.

We can make your £67 stretch a long way! That pays for soup and bread, craft materials, and film rental for three sessions in a week in Waterloo. £67 pays for a support worker and a meal for 50 people at two weekly cafes in Warndon. It pays for two after-school play sessions in a week, with food for up to 100 people.The list goes on. Living Rooms are popping up everyone, with all sorts of activity. Anything you’re able to give will allow us to keep going all the way through the winter.

All our Oasis Living Rooms have been set up at-speed, and ‘on a shoe-string’. We’re using surplus food, recruiting volunteers, and trimming other costs where we can, to prioritise keeping spaces open, warm, and full of life and activity. We truly believe the need is urgent. Providing a space for community and connection is vital.

We can’t solve all the financial needs in our communities – but by doing what we can together, we keep both hope and community alive. Our Living Rooms are much more than ‘warm banks’ – as one community member puts it: “It’s a home-from-home for me and my family … it’s good to know support is there. It’s my safe space.”