One Community, Many Resources
We are dedicated to serving as a vital resource within our community, bringing culturally appropriate programmes and services to a socially and digitally excluded community, to help build a vibrant, sustainable and interconnected community.
We provide funding, policy and governance advice to the voluntary sector, assisting charities in navigating complex regulations and ensuring they operate effectively.
50+ local charities and voluntary organisations receive regular bulletins funding opportunities.
As the local branch of this UK citizens advice charity, we offer guidance on financial and legal matters that intimidate the lay person, especially when there are further cultural barriers. These include issues as basic as helping an elderly person to apply for their Blue Badge or access their full benefits and entitlement, to more complex areas like debt management, PIP applications, probate, custody and divorce.
A team of 7 volunteers with 5 case workers – many of whom have extensive career experience in the relevant sectors – manage the high-demand department, bringing real response and relief to anxiety-laden situations.
2022: 240 hours of direct support delivered.
Learn more at www.paperweight.org.uk
We host a daily surgery offering one-to-one guidance and support helping people get their benefit entitlements like tax credit, universal credit, DLA, housing benefit. This surgery is facilitated by our in-house welfare advisor, Rabbi Avrohom Sugarman MBE.
2022: 164 local welfare advice beneficiaries.
We take proactive measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community by conducting comprehensive safeguarding training sessions, equipping individuals with the knowledge and knowhow to protect those in need.
We facilitate the process of filling out the national census within our community, to ensure this important survey is accurately and seamlessly completed – and to put the voice of our minority ethnic community forward so that our long term needs are considered.
91 interactions with local people.
During Covid-19 we worked with Public Health to spearhead regular vaccine drives with the aim of protecting everyone and creating a positive community culture around immunisations.
Our Cultural Awareness sessions form a central part of our mission to enable more effective interaction and understanding for the community. The light, engaging and informative 3-hour sessions impart a deeper understanding of Orthodox Jewish religious and cultural life, enabling enhanced communication and respect between the community and a wide range of external agencies and organisations.
Ideal for frontline workers and those in the voluntary sector, but will benefit anyone closely involved in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Participants report a 119% increase in knowledge, skills and confidence.
We are the local branch of the UK charity The Pinter Trust, an independent group of Orthodox Jewish leaders and activists who act as a point of contact and a voice for the community’s public affairs and public relations, to ensure open communication and good relations across communities.
Learn more at www.pintertrust.org.uk
We are committed to working with local and national partner organisations to advocate for welfare reform and scrutinising the welfare system to examine policies that may discriminate against groups or communities.
Our dedicated hospital chaplains provide invaluable support by advocating for and representing the needs of patients, ensuring their spiritual and physical wellbeing during their hospital stay.
We are the community’s trusted police liaison, facilitating a strong partnership and working collaboratively to address safety concerns and ensure a secure environment for all.
The JCCG has a seat on the Gateshead Council’s Police and Crime Panel and regular meetings are held with the local inspector and his team.
Inspector Kevin Ashurst said: “Our highly constructive relationship with the JCCG helps to ensure that we work effectively with the community.”
We are the local community’s primary point of contact for the local authority, NHS and other health bodies, to ensure effective communication and collaboration in addressing community concerns.
We specialise in signposting individuals to relevant services and agencies, guiding them towards valuable resources and support networks that can address their specific needs or challenges.
Social Housing:
Adler Housing, our social housing department, provides quality and affordable housing solutions tailored to the needs of low income Orthodox Jewish families, improving overall quality of life for those who previously lived in old, terraced and overcrowded quarters.
To date, we have one development comprising 12x 4-bedroom homes, with a second 20-unit development in the pipeline, in partnership with Aguda Housing.
Overcrowded living is high in our community, with three or more children sharing a bedroom.
Labriut Healthy Living Centre:
Labriut, meaning ‘to your health’, was initially founded during Covid-19 to help communicate vital updates to the digitally-excluded Orthodox Jewish community. Given its effectiveness, Labriut continued their strategic role, while expanding their services to include a local mother and baby clinic, mother and toddler drop-in sessions, health events, exercise sessions and more, contributing to improved wellbeing and less improving social isolation among local families.
91% of mums reported improved mental wellbeing after attending mother and toddller drop in.
Learn More >>
Skills Training:
In our quest to reduce people’s dependence on welfare benefits and to increase household income, we offer skills training programmes to those who are not in the workforce.
Our courses equip individuals with the necessary tools for various job and career opportunities, enabling them towards meaningful and lucrative futures.
Current accredited courses include:
- AAAT Bookkeeping & Accountancy
- Google IT Support
- Programming and Coding
197% increase reported in knowledge, confidence and skills among trainees.
Employment & business support:
Our regular job bulletin are distributed by email to over 80 businesses, effectively connecting prospective employees and businesses. This valuable resource has proven instrumental in getting talented candidates into the workforce, a win-win for both the community and its employers.
Another innovation of our economic support package is the launching of a business support and growth element through which we host economic development workshops, seminars and networking events.
65+ people have secured rewarding employment through this service.
Internet drop-in:
A culturally-friendly hub with 26 high-speed computers are available from early morning until late at night to the community, with self-serve fob entry, enabling safe, efficient online access for all their needs without the dangers of technology impacting their homes, driving down digital exclusion.
220 internet-free households access the IT drop-in.
Fitness suite:
Our community hall boasts a state-of-the-art fitness suite which hosts a gym and 10+ pilates and exercise sessions for nearly 100 members, promoting healthy and active lifestyles and reducing social isolation.
96% of fitness suite users felt improvement in their overall health and resilience.
“The JCCG is a real asset to the Gateshead community, a trusted organisation that truly cares for everyone it supports. I’m proud to work with them and grateful for everything they do, supporting neighbourhood officers to make a real difference in protecting local people and keeping everyone safe.”
“JCCG have used their resources and contacts to facilitate a number of projects which community organisations would have struggled to achieve on their own. Their professionalism in their dealings with the Local Authority has earned them the respect of members and officers, thus enabling them to effectively represent community organisations.”
“As part of my role, I connect with communities across the North East and North Cumbria to understand their experiences with cancer care and support. I was really keen to build a relationship with the community in Gateshead to look at any gaps in delivery from a cancer perspective and to understand any inequities that may exist. After the training I had a deeper understanding of the culture including the importance of family, the strong sense of community and how they look after and support each other. JCCG is a welcoming and engaging hub and it’s been a pleasure working with them.”