New way to help homeless people is launched in Wakefield

Safer Together, Wakefield’s Community Safety Partnership, has funded a new alternative giving scheme to help local organisations who support vulnerable and homeless people across the district.

The partnership has funded £4,016 for the Investors in Community (IIC) donation platform to be used on the existing Street Support website, so that people can ‘find help and give help’.

Alternative giving encourages people to give in a way that will have the biggest possible impact to end homelessness.

Using the Street Support website, people can now browse a range of local charity organisations and if they choose to, make a donation of money through the IIC platform. Funding by the partnership means that 100 per cent of all the money raised goes to the charities.

The website also provides opportunities for people to donate items such as clothing, food and toiletries, or to volunteer their time, skills or advice to organisations.

The focus is on providing long-term solutions for people who need help to transform their lives. Donations will be used by organisations to make lasting impacts such as getting rough sleepers into housing, giving people advice on receiving benefits, and making sure support is available to people with drug or alcohol addictions – rather than just helping people to survive on the streets.

More than 30 organisations are now listed online at streetsupport.net/wakefield and an app is also available to download on Apple and Android devices.

Coun Maureen Cummings, Cabinet Member for Environment, Communities, and Poverty said: “2020 has been a challenging year for everyone but the Safer Together partnership hasn’t forgotten about vulnerable and homeless people in our district.

“The Street Support website allows people to find help and give help in a way that will have long-term impact, helping people to transform their lives. I’m delighted that the partnership has agreed to fund the Investors in Community alternative giving platform, so that 100% of donations will go straight to the charities who need it, with no additional fees.

“As the country finds itself in another lockdown, the support for these charities is going to be more important than ever.

“This is a fantastic example of partnership working and demonstrates a commitment across our district to connecting organisations, individuals, charities, and community groups to work together for the common good.”

Street Support also explains how to contact the Council and Wakefield’s Rough Sleeper Outreach Service.

Any organisation that offers a service for the homeless or vulnerable and isn’t currently represented on the site should contact Asif Amann at [email protected].