Top facts
- Thank you to all who supported Make Change Count
- More than £40,000 raised to help people who are rough sleeping in the city
- The funds will be shared equally between eight local charities working together on the Make Change Count campaign
Make Change Count
Local charities have been given a boost from citywide fundraising which has raised more than £40,000. The Make Change Count alternative giving campaign has been running for several years, raising awareness of how to help people who are rough sleeping without giving money directly on the street.
The charities provide professional help which gives anyone who is rough sleeping the best chance to rebuild their lives and move away the dangerous existence of living on the streets.
Funds will be used for clothing, toiletries, food, individual support, day centre services and much more.
The 2018 fundraising page shows the figure donated for Make Change Count 2018 was £38,882. Additional donations to be added to this sum from Gift Aid and offline bucket collections see the final figure rises to around £42,000. Due to the way online donations are processed, the final figure will be known in a couple of weeks.
The funds will be split equally between St Mungo’s, BHT, Sussex Nightstop, Equinox, Antifreeze, The Clock Tower Sanctuary, YMCA Downslink Group and YMCA Brighton, giving each charity more than £5,000. No funds raised will be used for administration of the charities.
More details about support available are on the charities’ websites and the council’s website.
Next steps
Cllr Clare Moonan, lead councillor for rough sleeping said: “Residents and visitors have demonstrated great compassion through the generous donations which mean each charity will receive more than £5,000. The vital and valuable services provided for rough sleepers by partners across the city are making a real difference for many vulnerable people. We continue to support and work with our partners, recognising their expertise in helping those with complex needs to regain hope for the future and a life away from the streets.”
Make Change Count is supported by Brighton & Hove City Council, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.
Where the money will go
Andy Watts, Communications Manager, YMCA Downslink Group, said: “The funding will directly help those aged 16 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness via our housing advice drop in service at YMCA YAC (Youth Advice Centre). We’re very grateful to all those that have donated to the Make Change Count campaign. Your generosity is much appreciated.”
Katya Borowski, Development Manager, The Clock Tower Sanctuary, said: “We’re the only day centre in Brighton & Hove for 16 to 25-year olds who are homeless or insecurely housed. This funding will help us to provide a vital lifeline for some of the most vulnerable young people in our city. We are very grateful to everyone in our fantastic community who has donated to the Make Change Count campaign this year.”
Jo Berry, Head of Fundraising, Marketing and PR, BHT, said: “We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has donated so generously to the Make Change Count Campaign. The funding received through this campaign will be put towards the running costs of BHT’s First Base day centre which provides a wide range of services to people who are sleeping rough in the city, including food, shower, laundry and clothing facilities.”
Alison Marino, Executive Director, Sussex Nightstop, said: “Sussex Nightstop is very much about a community response to homelessness and we will use this funding to ensure that our host volunteers can continue to provide safe accommodation, a warm meal and access to washing facilities to young people at risk of the dangers of sleeping rough. On behalf of everyone at Sussex Nightstop we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to the Make Change Count campaign.”
Will Williams, Area Manager Brighton, Equinox, said: “The generosity of the general public across Brighton & Hove has been fantastic and is very gratefully received by the clients Equinox supports. This resource goes a long way in providing emergency items for clients who are street homeless, helps assist us provide more personalised drug and alcohol support and long term recovery solutions for people who have become institutionalised on the street.”
Alexandra Cuncev, Media and Communications Manager, Brighton YMCA, said: “We would like to extend our thank you to everyone who generously contributed to this campaign. Every penny makes a considerable difference to our clients’ lives. The money raised in last year’s campaign will go towards ensuring that over 300 clients receive the best support to turn over their lives, embrace new work, learning and volunteering opportunities and make a sustainable change to their future.”
Steve Brunton, Antifreeze (part of Off the Fence) Manager, said: “We’d like to thank you greatly for choosing to provide donations so that we can help the homeless. In 2018, 668 different homeless individuals accessed our services here at our Antifreeze Day Centre where they received basic needs such as haircuts, clothes and toiletries and more complex support through our one to one professional care. In addition to this, our charity provides many other services including evening outreach, plus laundrette and shower vans providing a service to the homeless.”
Kathleen Sims, Head of Outreach, St Mungo’s, said: “This funding is a boost and we’re always moved by the many ways people in Brighton & Hove want to help. We’re helping people who are rough sleeping regain their dignity by helping with replacing ID and providing support to access basic rights which so many of us take for granted. Thank you to everyone who donated and is helping us make change count.”