Community Funding

June 2020

Community funders offer much-needed support for homeless men and women during the Covid crisis

As the largest provider of homeless services for single people in West Sussex we are seeing huge changes to the homelessness sector as a result of Covid 19. Here at Turning Tides our staff and services are stretched to the limit as we navigate significantly increased need for our support alongside the cancellation of many of our fundraising events and activities.

We run 21 projects, both residential and outreach, across the North, Mid and South of the county. Pre-Covid, we already supported 200 clients in our residential projects and 245 homeless people through our outreach work – all of whom need our care and support more than ever. Now, as the wider ramifications of the Covid crisis begin to become apparent, we are supporting as many as a further 150 homeless men and women who have been temporarily housed in hotels and B&Bs. This number is set to grow as the virus impacts and escalates all the factors that feed into homelessness – financial strain, job losses, mental health issues, relationship breakdown and domestic violence.

The demand on our services is therefore enormous. Our frontline staff are designated key workers who don’t have the option to fulfil their roles from home. They are working extremely hard to protect all our existing service users and to provide support for the growing numbers of men and women who are temporarily staying in hotels as part of the Covid crisis. This support ranges from the provision of food, toiletries and cleaning products to mobile phones and distraction packs to help with loneliness. Crucially we are also delivering health education, and psychological and emotional support for all our existing and new service users. The impact of Covid-19 on mental health is profound in a group of vulnerable people who have already experienced more trauma in their lives than most people.

These exceptional circumstances led us to launch our first ever Emergency Appeal and our need for donations to this Appeal is greater than ever.

Please consider making a donation

We would also like to sincerely thank the grant-giving bodies who have responded to our request for help.

Ruth Poyner, Head of Fundraising and Communications says:

‘We are incredibly thankful to the funders who are stepping forward to support homeless people through this crisis. Every amount given, large or small, means so much to us at this difficult time. We are seeing hugely increased hardship but also kindness and a much needed community spirit as we try to get through this experience together. We offer a heartfelt thank you to those who have already supported us and hope they will inspire others to come forwards.’

Our thanks go to: