Emmanuel House, which has been supporting people experiencing homelessness in Nottingham for 50 years, says it welcomes the recent spotlight and financial pledge to end rough sleeping.
Isabella Harriss, CEO at Emmanuel House, says: “It’s brilliant to see our new prime minister, Andy Burnham making a commitment to end rough sleeping. It represents a significant opportunity to focus collective efforts across the country, and we look forward to playing our part in this initiative, particularly after the success of our role in the original ‘Everyone In’ scheme during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.
“But what happens when ‘everyone is in’? And how do we ensure it isn’t just a campaign for Christmas? Our staff and volunteers are on the frontline every day, showing up for people when they need it the most. Our services provide safety, community, dignity, routine and compassion. This is what enables people to recover from the trauma of homelessness, not just the offer of a bed. And this needs funding as well, alongside support from our community.”
Nottingham’s Night Shelter has been providing short-term emergency accommodation for nearly 20 years. This year, Emmanuel House received a one-off grant from Nottingham City Council, enabling the shelter to stay open over the summer.
Isabella added: “We are incredibly grateful and would like to thank the council for its financial support of our Night Shelter this summer. When the funding runs out in the autumn, we will urgently be relying on donations from our incredible community to run the shelter and ensure it can stay open in 2027.”
Following the loss of his job, John* was rough sleeping for nearly two weeks before he came to Emmanuel House. Staff acted quickly to provide reassurance and practical support, including food and a shower. He moved into our Night Shelter that evening. He is now living in one of our supported accommodation projects and we are delighted to share that he has gained employment.
Today the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also announced its ‘Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund’. We’re pleased to confirm that Emmanuel House has been awarded an allocation of this funding.
Isabella added: “This represents an unprecedented investment in our sector. It will help us strengthen our community-based support and continue to work towards preventing homelessness and rough sleeping. We’re grateful to MHCLG for recognising the importance of the voluntary sector and we’re looking forward to working with partners on delivery of this project.”
Details will be released in the coming weeks, with the creation of several new roles. You can sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear about the vacancies.
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