A Homeless Point of View

Collecting Donations to buy essential and thoughtful gifts this Christmas for the homeless at Devonport House and The Women's Refuge

 

Introduction

After the success of the small fundraising project I created last Christmas, I have decided to create a larger scale project in hope to raise money this christmas to buy essential and thoughtful items (such as thermal socks, underwear, gloves, small toiletry sets) for the homeless people in Plymouth who will be spending their Christmas at Devonport House (run by the Salvation Army) and The Womens Refuge (run by Sanctuary Living).

This is a cause I am passionate about and I believe that everyone deserves repect, equality and to be loved. Christmas can be a cold and lonely time for homeless people, especially as many homeless people have no family to spend their Christmas with.

 

Fundraising

I have been in contact with both charities to ask them what type of donations would be most beneficial (and I intend to keep in regular contact with them throughout this project).

The most important request seems to be for underwear. Other than this, the homeless who come to stay at the 'Safe Sleep' shelter at Devonport House are often sleeping on the street, so they are requesting warm clothes such as hats and gloves. The Womens Refuge have also requested pyjamas as the Women and Children often enter the refuge during the evening after having to escape from their homes and leave with no personal belongings.

Any donation will be appreciated! £1 can buy a pair of thermal socks or a hat - and remember that money isn't everything! If you have anything second hand worth donating please get in contact with me. Also please help by sharing this project to your friends and if you have any ideas for gifts or would like to help out with the project in any way, then please do get in touch! :)

 

Raising Awareness

As well as fundraising, I want to use this project to raise awareness of some of the issues that are often interlinked with homelessness such as:

- Domestic abuse

- Loss of parents

- Poverty

- Mental Health

- Drug and Alcohol addiction

- Disability

- Fleeing Persecution from another Country

- Relationship breakdown

- Eviction or Repossession of a home

I have called the project 'A Homeless Point of View' as I want to share personal accounts of peoples' experiences of being homeless through blogs and interviews. Using personal experiences, along with sharing information from proffesional services, I hope that my project can begin to work towards eliminating the stigma and harsh stereotypes that can be attached to homelessness.

I will be creating a small magazine which you will receive if you are willing to donate £6.00 or more which will contain blogs, interviews, pictures and other relevant information. 

 

Thanks!

Thanks for taking the time to read through my fundraising page :) The project is still developing so please keep checking this page for updates. I am also creating a Facebook page where you can find lots more information. The link will be posted soon!

 

 

"There is a widely held belief that homelessness is primarily caused by personal or individual failings. There is also a general lack of awareness of the structural factors which play a part in determining which people in society become homeless".

- The Department for Social Development, 2007 

 

Useful Links

 

http://www.sanctuary-supported-living.co.uk/plymouth-domestic-abuse-service

 

 

 http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/swe/devonportplymouth

 

http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/66379/Homelessness_factsheet.pdf

 

 

http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic_violence_topic.asp?section=0001000100220041§ionTitle=Domestic+violence+%28general%29

 

http://localgiving.com/charity/dcrs

 

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness