Appeal hits £84,000 but more still needed
Homeless charity, Julian House, wants to remind the public that even though Christmas is gone, homelessness is still here. Likewise, while many people deservedly look for a bright new future in the New Year, for many others life prospects will still feel gloomy. Each year Julian House launch their Christmas Appeal, which is their biggest single fundraising initiative. Last year they exceeded their target of £120,000 and are aiming for £150,000 this Christmas. Although the charity has now gone past the halfway mark with its annual Christmas appeal, organiser, Cecil Weir, is concerned that people will forget the problem. He said: “We are delighted that the total raised has now reached just over £84,000. “However in the past we have always raised much more before Christmas than afterwards, which means that hitting our £150,000 appeal target may be a struggle. “This is a worry because it’s not about funding our work now. It’s about funding our work throughout 2019. “For obvious reasons awareness around homelessness is much higher in the winter and particularly when it’s frosty. That why we concentrate our campaign now. The truth is that being homeless in July is almost as tough as January.” At the core of the charity’s work is its emergency bed spaces in Manvers Street (20) plus another 10-bed unit nearby. These beds are basic but warm and safe and give people short term respite from their plight. Julian House also has another 10 bedrooms at another city centre location. During winter this accommodation is at capacity. From there, the goal is to move most of its clients on to some sort of supported housing or if possible independent living, as quickly as practical. In this way formally destitute men and women can once again reconnect with the local community and, with support, reenter the job market. The Julian House Christmas appeal runs from now until the end of January. To support the appeal you can fill in a Christmas Appeal slip and send to Julian House, donate to their Justgiving page – www.justgiving.com/julianhouse/donate or ring 01225 354650. You can also help the homeless this Christmas by being an extra pair of eyes for Julian House. If you see someone on the street that needs help please report it to Streetlink on 0300 500 0914.