The Little Things Make a Big Difference: how to support Emmanuel House this winter

Posted on | by Marketing and Fundraising Team

What little things can you do for our community?

Sometimes it’s the little things we take for granted.

But it can be the seemingly ‘little’ things that can make the biggest difference to everyday lives. And sometimes we can forget how impactful these little things can be.

Emmanuel House does ‘big’ things like finding someone a new home, sorting out Universal Credit payments, giving people a bed for the night… But it’s the little things we sometimes forget to share. These are the things that help people to feel more positive, welcomed, confident, empowered and less alone. For some people, it’s only until you experience these feelings that you’re able to feel safe and secure.

Read how we moved David* from homelessness into housing

Our day centre is the heart of Emmanuel House – it’s where it all started in 1976. We’re well known for meeting people’s basic human needs, offering food, showers, clothes and housing support. These services are essential for people’s survival. But, due to the generosity of our ever-growing community, we’ve been able to develop and expand our services to support even more people. And mental health and wellbeing support is woven into every single service we offer.

Working with a variety of other integral agencies within the city, we’re able to offer a full wrap-around service that can support people from when they’ve first become homeless, all the way up to them moving into their own private-rented tenancy. And it’s often the ‘little’ things we do that help them get there.

You might know what we do, but do you know how we do it? And how you can help?

It’s important for us to share the voices of our beneficiaries so that our supporters can hear from everyone in our community. So, we asked the people that use our service about the ‘little things’ we do for them:

Homelessness is increasing across the city, not just for individual adults, but also for families with dependents. According to Shelter, the estimated total number of homeless people in Nottingham, as of 30 June 2023, was 1,997; 1 in 162 people. This has increased 24% in one year. The UK’s socio-economic crisis is resulting in more people struggling, not just with their mental health, but tenancies, work and relationships.

For people who are homeless or vulnerably housed, mental illnesses can be a cause and a consequence of homelessness, which can exacerbate existing conditions or contribute to new ones. Emmanuel House helps people navigate these incredibly challenging circumstances.

In 2023-2024, we supported over 1000 people across the organisation. Supporting our Winter Appeal enables you to contribute to this work. We receive no statutory funding for our core services, so we heavily rely on our Winter Appeal to sustain the charity for the rest of the year.

Little things you can do to help us

It doesn’t matter how big or small your support is – the fact is you’re helping us support people. No donation is too small. Here are a few little things you can do to help Emmanuel House over winter:

Emmanuel House giving trees

We’ve designed a collection of Christmas tree decorations for you to create your very own Emmanuel House ‘giving tree’ of gifts.

Each decoration has a suggestion of an item that we will give to someone who is homeless or vulnerably housed. We chose these items because they help people to feel more positive, welcomed, confident, empowered or less alone. For some people, it’s only until you experience these feelings that you’re able to feel safe and secure.

Hang the decorations on your Christmas tree and invite colleagues, friends or family members to take one and donate the item written on it.

  • Packets of biscuits
  • Notebook and pen
  • Boxer shorts
  • Puzzle books
  • Jogging bottoms
  • Winter coats
  • Shower gel and deodorant
  • Body lotion and hand cream
  • Chocolates (no alcohol)
  • Gregg’s vouchers

Decorations will be provided flat packed – they can be emailed for you print, or you can collect them from us. Get in touch to receive your pack of decorations.

Choose items from the above ‘Little Things’ Christmas wishlist, or select something from our year-round most-needed items list.

While we continue to provide vital services like housing support, mental health assistance and food security, it’s the little gestures—like a warm meal, a kind word, or a listening ear—that often restore dignity, confidence and hope to those we support.

As the needs in our community grow, especially during the challenging winter months, there are so many ways each of us can contribute to making a difference, however small. Whether it’s through volunteering, donating or simply sharing our mission, every little action counts. Together, let’s continue to build a community where everyone feels seen, valued and supported. Let’s remember that these ‘little things’ can add up to the most meaningful changes in people’s lives. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.