The Guardian and Observer charity appeal in support of young homeless people and destitute asylum seekers has burst past the £750,000 mark, less than a fortnight after its launch.
The success of the appeal comes on the back of an ongoing series of special reports highlighting the work of our three appeal charities and their volunteers in helping to change the lives of vulnerable people who find themselves without anywhere secure to live.
This year’s appeal, which runs throughout the festive period, is raising money for Centrepoint, Depaul UK and the No Accommodation Network (Naccom), all of whom deliver and support work on the frontline of homelessness and destitution in the UK.
“The incredible generosity of Guardian and Observer readers is commendable,” said Depaul UK interim chief executive Ian Brady: “We cannot thank them enough for passing this amazing milestone which will make a major difference to homeless young people.”
Centrepoint chief executive Seyi Obakin, praised readers’ overwhelming support. “It has been hugely heartening to see how people have refused to stand by as the cold winter closes around those homeless young people in dire need of help.”
Hazel Williams, national director of Naccom, said: “The response to this year’s appeal has been incredible, and is coming at a time when funding is desperately needed for homelessness services like those in our network.
“Our members are rooted in local communities, often run by volunteers, and because of the nature of their work, the vast majority aren’t eligible for government funding. It can be a real uphill struggle to keep afloat and ensure this essential lifeline is offered to those in urgent need.”
Launching the appeal a fortnight ago, the Guardian and Observer editor in chief, Katharine Viner, said the campaign was a response to the “increasingly visible and distressing” rise in homelessness and destitution in recent years.
The issue of homelessness rose to the top of the news agenda again this week after a cross-party committee of MPs described homelessness as a national crisis and said the current government’s approach to tackling the problems had been “an abject failure”.
Highlights of the Guardian and Observer series include columnist Sali Hughes’account of her own experience of homelessness when she was younger, reports by Simon Hattenstone and Helen Pidd on the work of Depaul UK’s Nightstop network volunteers, and a Guardian short film on homeless youngsters.
Last week the appeal was boosted by the annual charity telethon, during which Guardian and Observer journalists took a record £53,000 in donations from readers over the phones.
Centrepoint and Depaul run services aimed at providing shelter and support to homeless 16-25 year olds. Naccom represents a network of more than 40 local charities and projects which specialise in housing destitute asylum seekers, refugees and migrants who have no recourse to public funds.
Naccom will use its share of the Guardian and Observer appeal donations to capacity-build the network and support frontline projects via a selective grants process that will be open to its full members.
The 2016 Guardian and Observer charity appeal raised £1.7m for three refugee charities.
