HARP, the leading homelessness charity based in Southend-on-Sea, have launched their Warm Spaces Crowdfunder Appeal, with donations up to £250 matched by the Co-op Warm Spaces Fund.
HARP believe that no one should be forced to sleep on the streets, and that everyone deserves a safe, warm place to call home.
The charity’s work with people sleeping rough is centred around services provided at the Bradbury Day Centre in York Road, which provide a proven springboard to help local people overcome homelessness.
How it works
• Every donation to the Warm Spaces Crowdfunder Appeal will be matched up to £250 per individual donation, to a maximum of £5,000 in total.
• Match funding only applies to donations received on or before 31st March 2023.
• All money raised will be spent on keeping the Bradbury Day Centre doors open as a safe, warm space for people currently sleeping rough.
In the last year, the Bradbury Centre had around 10,000 visits from around 1,050 people in need – and, with the ongoing cost of living crisis, low wages, high inflation, inadequate benefits and a chronic lack of affordable housing, demand is only set to increase.
Dina Jobson, HARP’s Head of Fundraising, said: “The Bradbury Day Centre is a life-changing warm space for people sleeping rough in our city, and is often a vital first step away from homelessness. In the last year, we’ve spent around £25,000 on heating and electricity alone. We are asking supporters in the community to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to double their gifts, and we’re aiming to raise £10,000 to put towards these costs, keeping the doors open for everyone in our city who needs us.”
The work at the Day Centre begins initially with HARP’s Outreach Team, who engage with people sleeping rough in the community, actively attending locations where people are known to be bedding down, to build relationships and rapport, encouraging them to attend the Bradbury Day Centre.
Once people are using the services at the Day Centre, the real work towards accessing accommodation and moving away from life on the streets can begin.
However, with costs rising, the charity faces an uphill struggle to be there for everyone who needs their services.
The money raised through this Warm Spaces Appeal will be used to meet rising overheads, so that we are able to continue to provide this essential, life-changing warm space for people affected by homelessness through 2023 and beyond.
People wishing to donate to this vital work can do so at www.harpsouthend.org.uk/crowdfund
