Using your spare change for a better Christmas for rough sleepers

Published Friday, 03 December 2021

A project that is helping rough sleepers in Coventry, is expanding with the support of retailers in Coventry City Centre.

Change into Action is an alternative giving scheme. All the money donated goes directly to change the circumstances of rough sleepers.

Coventry Building Society (CBS) stepped in recently to fund shop front touch points for people who want to offer a £3 donation to support rough sleepers.

Coventry Building Society plus McDonalds in the Burgess and Timpsons in Broadgate

all now have the consoles in place. As part of the scheme, working with the Council, and other agencies the consoles provided by CBS, enable people to make a donation via a contactless card payment.

Charities can apply for money from Change into Action to help support a rough sleeper they are working with. It can fund local charities to pay for clothes, mobile phone top-ups, household items, and contributions to rent and other practical financial support to people who are either rough sleeping or struggling to remain in accommodation.

Dozens of people have benefitted, and it is hoped that the new consoles will make it easier for local people to make a donation.

Emma Brodie, Senior Community Officer at Coventry Building Society, commented: "We were really proud to be the first venue in the city to install a Change into Action point and to see other retailers get involved is great news.

"It's incredibly straightforward for anyone walking by to give to the city's homeless, with the reassurance that 100 per cent of every donation goes directly to rough sleepers in our city.

Emma added: "We can still install more donation points so we want to encourage other businesses in Coventry to get involved if they can."

Phil Foster, store manager at Timpson in Broadgate said: "It's a positive campaign and reassuring for people to know the money they give is going to the right place. It also suits the ethos of our company, so we are delighted to get involved."

Cllr David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: "I'd like to thank Coventry Building Society, Timpson and McDonalds for their great support. The new donation point is an excellent way for people to provide direct help because all of the money helps people who are street homeless to build a positive life and help aid their recovery.

"We want to raise awareness about how simple it is to donate, and especially this time of year we want to do all we can - with the support of other agencies - to help street homeless into accommodation and give them extra help with whatever they need to then remain in accommodation."

Coventry BID Director Trish Willetts, said: "This is a great campaign to help people who need it most at a difficult time of year. At the BID we've been working to ensure all of our businesses can engage with the campaign and help provide touch points so people can make vital donations. Like everything we do, we believe that when we all work together we can achieve more, so we're delighted to have been able to help and get involved."

Change into Action gathers donations to support specialist organisations already working with homeless people in Coventry and helps to get people off the streets and back into the community.

Money donated is used to help provide rental deposits for permanent accommodation to new clothing and training for jobs. Agencies apply on behalf of rough sleepers to receive a payment to either purchase goods or services that will either prevent rough sleeping or assist to move somebody into accommodation.

Dozens of people have been helped by the scheme.

A web page coordinates public donations, with Feeding Coventry - a local charity, working to distribute the money raised by the public, directly to rough sleepers. www.changeintoaction.org.uk

Change into Action also points the public in the direction of Streetlink; a platform that allows individuals to report the location of people they see rough sleeping or have any worries about them. This way the specialist outreach workers can offer the appropriate support needed.

To report and refer a rough sleeper for help, please contact Streetlink at streetlink.org.uk or call 0300 500 0914

If you think the person is in immediate danger or needs urgent care, please call 999.

Photo - One of the Change into Action consoles now installed at the Timpson store in Broadgate, Coventry.

Left to right: Cllr David Welsh, Phil Foster, Store Manager, Timpson Broadgate, and Sophie hall Housing and Homelessness Commissioning Manager, Coventry City Council

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