TAP for Bristol donates £10,000 to Bristol’s homelessness support services
- £5,000 for supporting homeless people out of COVID-19 isolation
- £5,000 to fund homelessness prevention work
- Second Step to maintain personal budgets for 50 clients to help them buy essential items
Homeless people currently isolating in a new Bristol city centre hostel are to be given personal budgets to help them move on to stable accommodation, thanks to a £5,000 grant raised through TAP for Bristol, the city’s new contactless donation scheme for homelessness.
This is the first donation to be made from funds raised through TAP for Bristol, a network of nearly 20 contactless donation points around the city, set up by the Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Caring in Bristol last year. People can tap their contactless credit or debit card to give £3. Half of the money raised is being used for homelessness crisis support and half for homelessness prevention work through Caring in Bristol.
The new £5,000 grant will help us set up personal budgets for 50 clients to buy essential items for new homes after isolating due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Support workers will ask clients how they would like it best spend the money.. Items bought could include mobile phones, clothes, toiletries, all of which are essential to finding work, along with furniture, bedding, kitchen equipment as well as training courses or travel to connect with family, post Covid-19 restrictions.
A second grant of £5,000 will go towards funding a money advisor and a housing advisor to support people at risk of homelessness through Caring in Bristol’s partnership work with CHAS and Talking Money. The most common reason for homelessness in the UK is the loss of a private rented tenancy. The charity has warned that because of the coronavirus crisis even more people are facing losing their homes, and that there will be a sharp increase in evictions
The new £5,000 grant will see Bristol mental health charity, Second Step, offer and maintain personal budgets for 50 clients to help them buy essential items to get set up in new homes after isolating due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Clients will not be given physical control of the money, but Second Step Support Workers will ask them how they would like it to be spent. Items bought with the money could include mobile phones, clothes, toiletries, all of which are essential to finding work, along with furniture, bedding, kitchen equipment as well as training courses or travel to connect with family, post COVID-19 restrictions.
A second grant of £5,000 will go towards funding a money advisor and a housing advisor to support people at risk of homelessness through Caring in Bristol’s partnership work with CHAS and Talking Money. The most common factor leading to homelessness in the UK is the loss of a private rented tenancy. The charity has warned that even more people are facing home insecurity, and that there will be a sharp increase in evictions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will give capacity to proactively reach out to people who are at risk of losing their home to offer advice and support.
Vicky Lee, project lead for TAP for Bristol at Bristol City Centre BID says:
“It’s been truly humbling to see how people have embraced TAP for Bristol. Thanks to their generosity we have been able to donate £10,000 to homelessness support and prevention services in Bristol during the coronavirus outbreak. The initiative has raised almost £20,000 in just over 6 months, so a second £10,000 grant will also be available very soon and will be able to support other frontline charities.
“The coronavirus pandemic has brought about yet more risks and challenges for homeless people in our city, so we are delighted to make this first grant to help people who’ve been isolating in a hostel or hotel to set up a stable home. We are hugely grateful to the people of Bristol and ask everyone who can to keep tapping to donate £3.”
Aileen Edwards, Chief Executive of Second Step says:
“If there is a silver lining to be found in the incredible hardship brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that we have been able to support more people to move away from the streets. This grant will help people we’re supporting find a safer life away from the streets.”
Ben Richardson, Director of Caring in Bristol, added:
“Our charity’s mission is to create a caring city empowered to solve homelessness and stopping people from becoming homeless in the first place is key to achieving that. This money will help us fund the crucial work advisors and a handbook that can reach out to and support people with financial and housing challenges and help them to keep their homes, this will become a vital resource during our city-wide recovery from COVID19.”
These new grants are being made as TAP for Bristol approaches its second £10,000 donation target, thanks to the generosity of members of the public, who will have donated a total of £20,000 since the scheme launched in September last year.
Reaching the second £10,000 will trigger the next round of grants to local charities supporting people in Bristol who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, particularly as charities gear up for crisis recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.
Whilst a small number of the 19 TAP for Bristol donation points are not currently accessible due to coronavirus restrictions, such as those inside business premises, the vast majority of TAP points are in public places such as shop, bar and hotel windows and are continuing to receive donations from people doing essential shopping or out on their daily exercise. An online donation page has also been set up at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/tapforbristol
‘TAP for Bristol’ aims to help make Bristol the city that solves homelessness. The scheme launched in September 2019 and raises funds through its contactless donation points where people can tap their credit or debit card to donate £3. The funds are divided equally between Caring in Bristol and local frontline services facilitated by the Quartet Community Foundation which is managing, monitoring and evaluating all donations.
For more information about ‘TAP for Bristol’ visit www.tapforbristol.org and video here
Any organisation wanting to apply for a grant can do so online, via the Quartet website.
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Notes to editors
- Further details are available at TAPforBristol.org
- TAP for Bristol contactless donation points can be found at:
25/27 College Green (the former FOPP store opposite the Green)
Waitrose, Queens Road
Bambalan, Colston Tower.
Tesco College Green
Tesco Marlborough Street
Tesco Canons Way
The Ibis Hotel, Explore Lane
Mercure Bristol Brigstow Hotel
Small Bar, King Street
Brew Dog, Baldwin Street
The Volunteer Tavern, New Street
The Better Food Company, Wapping Wharf
Source Café, Beacon House.
Small Street Expresso
Immediate Media
No 1 Harbourside
Pizzarova
Pitch and Piano
The Stable
- Bristol City Centre BID exists solely to introduce significant improvements for the benefit of levy payers. Its aim is to ensure Bristol city centre is increasingly known for its safe, attractive and welcoming look and feel by all those who come to work, study, visit, and spend leisure time.
- Caring in Bristol is a local charity Caring in Bristol’s vision is of a city empowered to solve homelessness. We reach out to people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness, to develop the necessary services, evidence base and public engagement to create permanent change in Bristol and beyond. www.caringinbristol.co.uk