{"id":68441,"date":"2024-11-29T16:49:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T16:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/?p=68441"},"modified":"2024-12-15T14:27:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T14:27:12","slug":"sheffields-homeless-charities-in-year-round-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/11\/29\/sheffields-homeless-charities-in-year-round-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheffield’s homeless charities in year-round crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sheffield’s homeless charities are at breaking point as they constantly battle to help the increasing number of people who are sleeping on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temperatures across the city plummeted last week marking the first snowfall of the season, triggering Sheffield\u2019s Severe Weather Protocol (SWEP). But the Lord Mayor of Sheffield Jayne Dunn believes the \u201crain is just as important as the cold\u201d and more needs to be done to help homeless people battling against other extreme weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What we do need is wrap around support for personalised aid for homeless people. It works but it’s very very expensive, what we need is long term funding,” <\/p>– CLLR DUNN<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SWEP is launched when temperatures reach -2\u00b0C for three consecutive hours. Under this protocol, emergency accommodation is provided as a temporary solution for people tackling homelessness this winter.

The Mayor has emphasised that homelessness isn’t just about surviving extreme temperatures until SWEP is activated. Rain and wind chill, which aren’t factored into weather protocols, are the real dangers to people sleeping rough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says: \u201cRain is just as important as the cold, it\u2019s not something we should only be thinking about when it snows, we should be thinking about it all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cllr Dunn advocates for personalised support for people experiencing homelessness to bring Sheffield\u2019s rising homelessness figures down for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She supports The Archer Project,<\/a> a Sheffield homeless charity, and their year-round approach to tackling the homelessness crisis. The organisation works on the frontline to provide emergency, trauma-informed services to help those people who are sleeping rough all year round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Logan, Fundraising Officer for the charity, says the dangers of all extreme weather conditions, not just cold, are amplified for the homeless.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDehydration, sunstroke, severe sunburn, everything that people are told to think about when the sun comes out is double, triple for people experiencing homelessness.\u201d <\/p>– Joe Logan<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the charity is at its breaking point and cannot cope with the rise in demand. CEO, Tim Renshaw, told the BBC<\/a>: “We used to just about cope cooking 15,000 meals a year. We’re expecting to cook 28,000 this year.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On November 6, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced a \u00a310m emergency fund aimed at preventing deaths of those sleeping rough this winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: <\/strong>2023<\/a>, 2022<\/a>, 2021<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A shocking 1474 people died due to homelessness in 2023 alone, a 42% increase from the previous year and double the recorded deaths in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yorkshire and The Humber are set to receive more than \u00a31m of the finances to help 16 of its most vulnerable areas, with \u00a3240,000 allocated to Sheffield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homelessness is an escalating problem in the city, where more than 4000 families and people reported they were homeless in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the emergency announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described the crisis as \u201ca national disgrace, and we can\u2019t keep sticking plasters on it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chancellor Rachel Reeves\u2019 Budget also announced a further \u00a3233m dedicated to homeless services from April 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source :<\/strong> Government Press Release<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This pledge, the emergency fund, and existing government financial plans brings the budget for tackling homelessness and investing in services with a budget of \u00a31bn for 2025\/26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmaus Sheffield <\/a>provides supported accommodation, personalised support and training schemes to help homeless people regain their identity and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charity, which aims to provide a home for however long a person needs it, runs 33 projects in the UK and has 425 sites worldwide.

When Emmaus Sheffield first opened in 2007, it had five bedrooms, today it accommodates 18 people. To cope with the rising demand, they hope to build four additional bedrooms and a bigger kitchen.

Unfortunately, people who have been referred to the charity\u2019s site are often kept on a waiting list for nearly six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe very rarely have vacancies. It\u2019s not really a winter crisis,\u201d says Lesley Morgan, community leader of the Sheffield branch. \u201cIt\u2019s just constant, it\u2019s not just a winter thing for us, it’s every month of the year. We are full from January through to December.\u201d

Emmaus\u2019 year-round, wrap-around support increases the likelihood of its residents finding a job and moving on from the project. 

The charity has a dedicated workshop on-site that provides carpentry training to its residents. Their work is then put up for sale on-site and at local markets.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: Josie Sharp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The residents are also offered gym memberships and driving lessons to help with their rehabilitation and increase their employability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when the residents of the charity are ready to live independently, they often struggle to find social housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a massive problem, when someone is ready to move out, we can\u2019t actually find them affordable housing, so they\u2019re turning jobs away because they\u2019ve got nowhere they can afford to live,\u201d says Lesley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmaus and The Archer Project’s year-round commitments to rehabilitation and support are being undermined by the lack of social housing for people emerging from homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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