The Give Leicester contactless giving scheme helps to address the problem of homelessness in Leicester. So far, it has raised over £35,000 and helped 12 people to find permanent homes.
Give Leicester donation points can be found at locations all over the city centre, including bars, cafes, shop windows, offices and on campus. Members of the public tap their credit or debit card to the contactless point in the middle of the window vinyl to donate £3 per tap.
Three new locations have been added to the map of donation points this week, located at LCB Depot on Rutland Street, Mattioli Woods on New Walk Place and Grounded Kitchen on Queens Road, which brings the total number of locations to 14 and has made it it easier than ever for the public to help do their bit to tackle the problem of homelessness in Leicester, no matter their location in the city.
The project, set up by BID Leicester and Leicester City Council working in partnership with Leicester Homelessness Charter, is designed make to helping people who are homeless easier and secure by enabling donations directly to charities through the contactless giving points. The partnership pays all donation transaction costs, to ensure that 100% of the money goes to charity.
The campaign will continue to raise money for local charity The Bridge Homelessness to Hope for a second a second year. Money raised from the contactless giving points will contribute to a variety of support programmes run by The Bridge Homelessness to Hope from their Day Centre, aiming to achieve long-lasting change for vulnerable people in Leicester’s community. So far, the scheme has helped 12 people out of homelessness and into permanent accommodation.
Previously, the campaign had raised money for One Roof, a night shelter providing emergency accommodation, also funding Covid secure accommodation during the pandemic. Since the project launched in 2019, in addition to the people helped into permanent accommodation, the funds raised have provided over 1,000 nights of emergency shelter to guests and over 3,000 meals have been served.
Crucially, the assistance offered at the Day Centre is not only for those without housing. They offer continued support even after guests are housed, enabling them to keep on making positive changes to their lives.
Give Leicester donations will benefit a range of the services the charity offer, including the provision of meals at breakfast and lunch time, a place for hot showers and laundry, and physical and mental health advice. Funds will also go in to creative and social programmes that aim to empower guests and allow them to feel part of a community, along with a regular skills day to prepare them to succeed in job-seeking and employment.
David Fawcett from The Bridge Homelessness to Hope said: “The Give Leicester campaign has been a great success so far, raising much-needed funds for our homelessness support services. We’re so grateful to BID Leicester and their partners for the support. The addition of these new donation points across the city will boost the potential to raise further funding.
“Clearly, as winter approaches and the weather becomes colder and harsher, it creates a whole new challenge for those vulnerable people who find themselves sleeping rough.
“Our mission, in these challenging times, is to provide a platform for these people to regain hope and empower themselves to move forward with their lives after homelessness.”
Speaking about the Give Leicester project to date, Simon Jenner, Director of BID Leicester, said: “After the launch of the project in 2019, we have been thrilled to see the continued support for Give Leicester over the last three years, with members of the public showing their generosity and willingness to help the most vulnerable members of our community.
“I am delighted to see the expansion of the scheme with three new giving points I the city centre, and to continue our partnership with The Bridge Homelessness to Hope throughout a second winter campaign. We want to support them in going one step further to help homeless people in the city, by funding services that give them the chance to feel part of the community again; equipping them with vital skills and allowing them to visualise a future full of possibilities.”
Assistant city mayor for housing Cllr Elly Cutkelvin said: “We know that lots of people who come into the city want to help those in need and do their bit to tackle the problem of homelessness.
“Donating via Give Leicester is an excellent way to do this and it’s fantastic that the scheme has grown to offer more donations points.
“Leicester City Council works in close partnership with The Bridge Homelessness to Hope. The charity provides an additional and invaluable level of help and support to the accommodation and day centre services we offer at the Dawn Centre, and we know how much this means to the people it helps.”
There are 14 Give Leicester donation points in the city, displayed in the windows of local businesses. As well as the new additions, other locations include St Martin’s Coffee Shop, McDonalds on Eastgates and Market Street, Clockwise Credit Union, De Montfort University, University of Leicester, Marks & Spencer and Greggs on Gallowtree Gate and De Montfort Hall.
Find out more about the Give Leicester donation points, including a map of locations, The Bridge Homelessness to Hope, and information about the Leicester Homelessness Charter at giveleicester.org