Generous public donations totalling over £280,000 have helped provide much needed support and protection for those sleeping rough on the streets of the West Midlands as part of the year-round Change into Action alternative giving campaign.
This week sees the launch of the annual winter campaign to remind local people of the importance of helping to locate people experiencing homelessness so they can be connected to support services and helped to move off the streets and into accommodation.
To raise awareness about this year’s seasonal campaign, Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), visited the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham to hand out leaflets to stallholders, other local businesses and shoppers.
Details of how to donate in other areas of the region, and how to help locate people rough sleeping can be found at changeintoaction.org.uk.
The Mayor said: “At this time of year, our thoughts and prayers often turn to the circumstances of the less fortunate. We know that conditions during the winter period present the greatest risks to the health of people who sleep rough and that is why we are working in close collaboration with our local authority and wider partners to ensure that every effort is made to connect individuals with appropriate services to meet their needs and support them to move away from sleeping on the streets for good.
“Any rough sleeper is one too many, but in recent years we have made good progress in helping society’s most vulnerable - with the number of rough sleepers in the West Midlands now almost half what it was five years ago.
"Part of the reason this has been made possible is thanks to the generosity of citizens in this region, who have donated more than £280,000 to Change into Action since its launch. And this winter we are asking again that if people are in a position to do so then they continue supporting the campaign, so that together we can ensure there is a route off the streets for every single person who finds themselves there.”
Cllr Mark Parker, Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, added: “Building on the work we began last year with our new Rough Sleeper Outreach Team, we have increased our capacity for outreach work and are helping more people to safely move off the streets and into accommodation. The team is aided by our residents, partners and local businesses who continue to work with us, reporting people they think are rough sleeping to StreetLink, who pass the info back to the team.
“Working together, in the last year we have prevented 370 households from becoming homeless and helped 614 people into long term housing. We have also been helped to provide additional grant support by donations to Change into Action Solihull. Recently we’ve awarded three grants to young people with a history of homelessness. These have covered the costs of furnishings and flooring, making their accommodation more homely and nicer places to live, helping to break the chain of rough sleeping.
“Our message continues to be – nobody needs to sleep rough, let’s work together to help homeless people. Please help us by reporting anyone you think is sleeping rough via StreetLink, the national reporting system, and supporting Change into Action Solihull if you are able.”
Part of the work of the WMCA’s Homelessness Taskforce, Change into Action is a regional alternative giving campaign, which encourages people to make an online donation rather than giving money to people asking for change on the streets.
It was launched as a pilot in Birmingham in 2017 and subsequently rolled out across Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, and Walsall, with Wolverhampton having a similar scheme called Alternative Giving CIO.
All donations collected throughout the year personally benefit a person sleeping rough with trusted local charities and street teams working with individuals to identify those things that can really make a change to their personal circumstances.
The money raised so far in generous donations has supported around 750 individuals to move away from rough sleeping.
Find out more how public donations are helping to make a positive difference to the lives of local people who unfortunately find themselves sleeping rough at www.changeintoaction.org.uk.