25/01/2026
Second Chance Medway, Community Centre
- who are we, what do we do? 🤔🤔🤔
WHO ARE WE?
We started life as a Crisis Support Charity in 2015 and are registered at Charity Commission under number 1166740.
We are Honoured to have as our Patron: Medway Resident, Billy Childish; a prolific painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer, and guitarist.
We have a CEO / Founder, a Chairperson, a Board of Trustees including a Trustee Secretary, and two Finance Trustees, and a Management Team including our General Manager, Supermarket Manager and Development Manager.
WHAT DO WE DO?
You have a problem, an issue, and we can try to help resolve it, whatever it may be.
Primarily all issues start around housing, as that is where most problems start.
Can’t pay the rent AND feed the family?
Visit our cost effective Community Supermarket, and speak with Jo, our Supermarket Manager.
Financial issues can causes stress, which leads to Mental Health Issues, make an appointment with our Highly Qualified Mental Health Practitioner, Derek and book an appointment with Penny, trained by Lloyds Bank in Financial Fitness for a Budgeting Course.
Washing Machine breaks down? Already have financial issues and struggling with rent and food bills; we can help apply for a Grant, subject to criteria; email Amanda our Support Services Co-ordinator, for an appointment.
Landlord at the door, needs their rent, where to turn?
Maybe pay the rent, and buy less food, but now the kids are hungry..
More stress, more MH issues.
We can help with all these issues and more!
We can help you apply for a DHP; subject to criteria, to clear your arrears and safeguard your family home.
Kids leaving school, need training and a job…
Other half needs a job…
We can help with training, and work placements too…
Single parent?, bored, lonely, isolated, needs something to do around school time…… Volunteer!
Our Volunteers and Staff understand that the most important part of their work is that everyday kindness can have a profound impact on vulnerable people who need help but cannot always ask for it, and that true service often requires a willingness to act without recognition or guarantee that efforts will be appreciated or understood.
If you think you have something to offer, to help the vulnerable in our Community, to offer support and advice; please get in touch via our email with your details and area of interest. (Retail/shop, admin/support, catering/cafe).
Staff can also train whilst volunteering, helps with their CV and long term employment prospects, beats isolation and make new friends.
Whether it’s, Housing, Financial, Mental Health, Isolation, Work Related….
Together, our aim is to help people move from a place of complete stress to one of more harmony, coping in today’s world — from needing emergency support, to having choice, stability and confidence around family, food, finances and family home.
Under our Housing Solutions Project, we can help, support, advise with all of these issues and more, and provide the guidance you need towards a Safe, Happy, Long Term Family Home.
We also have a Food Aid Project, via our Community Supermarket.
So why are there differences in the food we supply?
We now promote a 3-tier shopping service, see below.
Free Shopping Vouchers - 1st Tier
Although we are not a Food Bank, we work together with Schools, Churches, Support Organisation and provide short-term help by way of Free Shopping, where you can select what you need and what you want.
We ensure you have enough meals, essential household and toiletries, plus something for the kids.
Ask at the Centre for more details, or phone 01634 771200 or email [email protected]
This is a short fix, not a long-term solution.
We offer Budgeting Support as well. This allows us to see if we can provide other financial support and debt advice.
Budgeted Shopping - 2nd Tier
With the aid of the Budget, we can estimate how much you can afford for your weekly shop, to ensure your whole family is fed, you can wash, clean the house, and wash the clothes, allowing for pocket money or a few sweets for the children, and even afford to feed the dog or cat.
Whatever we agree is affordable for the shopping, that is what your weekly food bill will cost, although we have recommended amounts depending on family size.
If we estimate £60 a week, and your shopping comes to £75; then we will provide a £15 voucher to help cover the costs of a full week’s shopping. Only stipulation is that you continue to shop with us. To help budgeting and ensure shopping affordability, we will set up a Direct Debit for whatever we have estimated to be paid direct from wages/benefits, in order that when you monies have arrived you have already budgeted for your months shopping, and we will ensure rents are paid direct too.
Whatever shopping may have cost you previously, say £100 at your previous supermarket, will now cost around £60 with us, but it will be affordable and not by sacrificing the rent!!
These are just estimates, budgets will depict actual amounts.
But we will ensure your shopping and rents are covered by the family budget and income.
Community Supermarket - 3rd Tier
A Community Supermarket looks and feels like a shop but sells food at heavily reduced prices. People choose what they need to buy and pay, helping to maintain household budgets while maintaining independence and normality.
We offer many regular offers to keep prices down, including a selected amount of free fruit and vegetables with all your shopping. All other special offers are advertised within the supermarket, and change regularly, so ask one of our volunteers for the current offers.
Should there be something you need, that we do not currently stock, please let Jo, our Supermarket Manager, know and we will order it in for you.
This is essential if you have signed up to do all your shopping with us.
Our meats are exceptionally low-priced, and we ask that 1 pack should be part of a larger shopping basket, and not individually purchased.
Community Pantry - Added Bonus!
We also provide a Community Pantry, with the support of FareShare, which works on a membership model.
FareShare is the UK's largest charity fighting hunger and food waste.
Members pay a small weekly fee for a selection of food and other items. Pantries are designed to support people on low incomes while promoting choice and budgeting skills.
Payments are via Direct Debits to FareShare, with £17 for a single membership or £34 for a family membership, which includes double the number of items available.
Minimum 10 items a week, but can be as much as 50 items, depending on stock levels.
Payment can be made by cash weekly, but paying by Direct Debit is preferred by FareShare the Suppliers.
Deliveries are available within Medway, for £3, and will be on Thursdays to start with but will be further extended to other days, as required.
Can’t get to us? Phone your order in, and Jo will ‘walk’ you around the supermarket to make your selection, after which she will let you know the costs and your shopping will be delivered.
Or ‘Watch This Space’; as we have our own website shop, coming soon, where you can order your shopping online, pay and get delivered.
Outside Organisations
We work with various partners, including schools, churches, Medway Council, MHS, DWP, MVA, Shaw Trust, and others, to make sure people are supported in the right way at the right time.
If you are a School, a Church, a MC Department, Housing Association, Letting Agency, or other support agency and would like to work with us, please email your contact details and ideas, and Penny, our CEO, will be in touch.
Together, our aim is to help people move from a place of constant stress to one of self-reliance — from needing emergency support to having choice, stability, and confidence around the family, home, food, and finances.
🙏 None of this happens without you.
We simply couldn’t do this without your incredible support — both big and small. Whether you donate food, or clothes, make a financial contribution, volunteer your time, or support us in other ways, you are helping make this whole system work.
Without you, there would be no Second Chance Medway.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Let’s hope SCM continues to be, all the time it is needed.
We are here for the homed, the homeless, the working, part-working, on benefits or not…
EVERYONE IS WELCOME, that includes YOU!!
Second Chance Medway Crisis Support Charity
Community Centre
Melville Court
Bottom Brompton Hill
Brompton
Kent
ME4 4XQ
Web: www.2ndchancemedway.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01634 771200
Supermarket: Open Monday to Friday 9m to 4pm
Support Services: please phone or email for an appointment, with contact details, family composition, and details of support needed and someone will contact you for an appointment with one of our Support Team.
Thank you
Defeating Crisis, Building Future, Stronger Together
