Homeless charity hopes song hits festive high note
A HOMELESS charity has released a Christmas song to try to help fundraising efforts which will keep the doors of its centre open in Loughborough.
The song, You Shouldn’t Be Lonely This Christmas (We’re Here For You), is a message to all the homeless in Leicestershire that there are people out there who can help you, said a spokesman for Falcon Support Services.
It was sung by Shaena, one of the support staff at the charity, who runs a weekly musical group for residents, and it was recorded and produced by Clarence Street Studios. Its release comes against the backdrop of the “devastating news” the Falcon homeless centre, a hostel which can hold up to 30 residents, could be forced to close, the charity said, after Leicestershire County Council chose not to renew its contract to fund support staff and face-to-face support.
The council said it will use the money from the contract, which is due to expire in March 2024, on improving its own health and wellbeing services. It hopes the move will provide wider-ranging services across the county and help more people before they reach crisis point and become homeless.
The council also said it is not the only funding source for the charity. However, the charity has said this decision means the centre will close, unless they can raise £210,000 by
March.
Lee Hardy, communications manager at Falcon Support Services said the tune was written by staff and residents.
“It was really to be as positive as possible, that you don’t have to be lonely, you can reach out and there are people that will support you,” he said. “The song is more of a general message to all the homeless there, that there are people out there that can and will help you. It’s on general release across all platforms, from Spotify to Tidal. We were hoping LadBaby could support us. But they haven’t got back to us yet.”
You can donate by heading to the Falcon Support Services’ website.