Make a distinction this World Homeless Day

Friday 10 October marks World Homeless Day.

This worldwide day serves as a platform to boost consciousness of the profound affect of housing insecurity and the challenges confronted by folks experiencing homelessness.

It additionally goals to have a good time good work and benchmark progress in addressing homelessness and advocate for improved insurance policies and funding that may assist forestall and finish homelessness.

For this World Homeless Day, we’re highlighting Make Change Count, the highly effective citywide marketing campaign serving to folks dealing with homelessness in Brighton & Hove.

Make Change Count

Running since 2016, Make Change Count is town’s mixed fundraising marketing campaign, offering much-needed funds to native charities who work collectively to assist and forestall homelessness.

Whether it’s a sizzling meal, a clear set of garments, a protected place to sleep, or long-term restoration assist, Make Change Count ensures donations go straight to the place they’re wanted most.

The partnership facilitates the skilled assist that’s wanted to offer a homeless individual the most effective probability to get off the streets and into security.

It affords an amazing various for individuals who wish to give change to tough sleepers however recognise that their cash can do extra.

Donate to Make Change Count 2025/2026.

Direct assist for folks in want

Every single penny donated goes on to serving to folks in want, so no cash is used on admin, and each charity concerned contributes to the marketing campaign for free of charge.

Donations are utilized in sensible, speedy methods, and helps long-term restoration too. Here’s how your cash could make a distinction:

• £5 supplies somebody sleeping tough with a sizzling meal, drink, and a heat welcome
• £10 buys clear garments and toiletries for somebody in disaster
• £25 funds a one-to-one assist session with a frontline employee
• £50 helps somebody entry protected emergency lodging for the night time
• £100 helps long-term restoration from psychological well being remedy to tenancy assist or habit providers

Thanks to the kindness of 230 beneficiant supporters, the latest marketing campaign raised £15,460. In 2025, together with your assist, we’re hoping to go even additional and hit a minimum of £20,000.

Working collectively

This yr’s marketing campaign brings collectively 8 impactful native charities, all working hand in hand to supply folks the protection, assist, and stability they should transfer ahead.

• Antifreeze – Off The Fence Trust: Offering afternoon and night outreach with entry to necessities like hygiene services, showers, laundry, clothes, and structured assist to assist folks transfer in the direction of independence.
• BHT Sussex: Supporting folks sleeping tough with lodging, psychological and bodily well being care, and habit restoration – delivered by their day centre, housing initiatives and prevention groups.
• BWS: SIG Equinox – Brighton Women’s Service is Brighton & Hove’s solely accommodation-based service for girls with excessive assist wants experiencing homelessness and a number of disadvantages. The 18-bed service improves outcomes for girls by a trauma-informed and recovery-focused programme that promotes independence, resilience and group engagement, enabling girls to get better and stay effectively.
• YMCA Brighton: The metropolis’s oldest housing charity, supporting greater than 400 folks a yr with recommendation, lodging, teaching to forestall homelessness and transfer in the direction of independence.
• Sussex Nightstop: Offering same-day emergency lodging in host houses for 16- to 25-year-olds, stopping tough sleeping and holding younger folks protected.
• The Clock Tower Sanctuary: The solely day centre in Brighton & Hove for 16- to 25-year-olds experiencing homelessness – a welcoming place providing meals, garments, showers and emotional assist.
• YMCA DownsLink Group: Working throughout Sussex and Surrey to forestall youth homelessness and enhance psychological well being – providing protected houses and assist to construct abilities and confidence.
• Change Grow Live (CGL): Helping folks transfer off the streets and into the proper providers – offering ongoing assist to scale back repeat homelessness and rebuild lives.

Vital assist

Councillor Paul Nann, the council’s lead member for homelessness, stated: “World Homeless Day serves as agency reminder that everybody has the proper to have someplace first rate to stay.

“The impacts of the nationwide housing disaster are felt profoundly in our metropolis.

“If you’d like to assist however should not certain how, donating to Make Change Count is a good way to make sure that your generosity is instantly serving to assist folks to maneuver away from tough sleeping in Brighton & Hove.

“The assist on provide for folks threatened with homelessness in Brighton & Hove is phenomenal, and the work of all of the charities concerned in Make Change Count is a crucial a part of this assist.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far.”

Concerned about anybody sleeping tough

If you’re involved about somebody sleeping tough in Brighton & Hove, contact Streetlink by way of www.streetlink.org.uk.

The metropolis’s road outreach crew will then contact them to attempt to provide them acceptable assist and housing help.

It’s vital that anybody sleeping tough is obtainable assist as quickly as attainable and that the help supplied meets their wants.

Reporting the place persons are by Streetlink is one of the simplest ways of creating certain that folks get the assist they want.