This Is My Home

The Pitch

Problem statement

Our group is trying to tackle homelessness & financial difficulties within the Manchester community & in some of the surrounding areas. Some of our homeless friends don’t speak to anyone all day until our outreach teams come with the food & supplies. This is really demoralising for some of them. Affecting their mental state, as they are made to “feel like outcasts”. More & more homeless are sadly back on the streets. We have at least doubled the hot meals from this time last year. We have also started handing out sandwiches & cakes, to help keep them going until the next night. We get donations from some big supermarkets, so we try to distribute those too, instead of them being wasted.

Solution

We aim to provide more essential supplies to our homeless friends, to make their time on the streets more bearable. We would like to be able to help get the extremely vulnerable into overnight accommodation, until they can be seen by the relevant authorities. This would be at a cost to us. At present we can’t afford to do that. Sleeping bags, blankets, toiletries, thermal hats, gloves, socks & underwear are in big demand & we simply don’t have enough funding to keep on top of it all. With the increase of meals, comes the increase in costs for the cutlery, cups, takeaway foils etc. We would like to be able to give all our cooks their own supplies of these, instead of them having to share.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

Our outreach teams have been doing outreach for over two years now. We have a rapport & connection with a lot of our homeless friends. They see the cars with their magnets on & know who it is straight away. They trust us, as they have got to know us. They know that if we can help, we will help. Families are no longer embarrassed to ask us for food parcels, as we have become friends along the way & they know that we don’t want them to go without, especially the children. The teams know exactly where to find our homeless friends. They know which back streets & doorways, where they’ll be, as some don’t like to come over whilst there’s a lot of people about. Some are vulnerable & we respect that

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

500 people

Expected impact

If we can get the most vulnerable people into overnight accommodation, whilst waiting for the correct authorities, it would be amazing. Those new to the streets are so vulnerable & frightened. Some are escaping domestic violence, with literally the clothes on their backs. They would feel much safer off the streets. If we had more money for more supplies, we would be able to give out more. The weather is so unpredictable. Whilst it remains wet & cold we are having to give out more winter supplies still, so we’re not able to build up the stock, ready for the really cold winter. We have team members that help with getting referrals to hostels etc. During the pandemic, some of our homeless friends have been put up in temporary accommodation. Whilst they’ve been off the streets, they’ve managed to turn their lives around. Being off the streets has had a huge impact on their lives & we wish we could put everyone into accommodation, but we can’t. We will do whatever our funding allows us to.

Track record

Sir Robert McAlpine Funding This was great, as the money received allowed us to stock up on the winter essentials, ready for winter. We were able to buy more catering supplies, for our cooks, which were definitely needed, with the number of meals increasing. It enabled us to purchase a few gazebos & seating, so that we could host pop up events for our homeless friends. They were able to sit down, relax, chat & enjoy a lovely home cooked Christmas dinner. Sadly, more than likely the only one they would get. It also allowed us to source treats & presents, so they didn’t miss out. Some don’t often mingle much, so this was an ideal time for them to meet others in the same situation as them & not feel like they were completely on their own. We are already planning a summer bbq pop up event, as it really boosts moral. The look on their faces is priceless. A fair few have said how they feel invisible or humiliated. But said when they come to one of our events, they feel like part of society.

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