New data has revealed that the number of long-term rough sleepers in Liverpool has risen by over 40% in the past two years.
To combat this, volunteers from the homeless charity, Reaching Out Liverpool are taking part in this year’s Santa Dash with a target of £500.
Reaching Out is a charity across Liverpool City Centre which supplies rough sleepers with food, drinks and clothing.
Motivated by her desire to help people in need, Alison Lynn, 45, founded Reaching Out Liverpool in October 2021 along with Julie Gibbons and a few other members who have now moved onto other things.
Alison said: “It used to upset me seeing the amount of people on the streets, and I thought I am not helping them by just complaining about the current state of things – I need to actually do something.
“So, in 2020 I joined a different Outreach group and used to volunteer with them before they ceased operating.”
Every Monday evening the organisation provide 60 hot meals, drinks,
clothing, blankets and much more to the homeless community in Liverpool City Centre. They start on Castle Street around 7:15pm and make their way around the city until they have no supplies left.
The charity has also received food donations from local restaurants including Spice Thai on Castle Street, La Parilla on Lark Lane, Noso in Fazakerley and Doogles Donuts.
Christmas and cold weather come hand in hand and that is the biggest challenge the organisation faces. Many homeless people struggle to navigate the drop in temperature and will resort to finding temporary warmth in places like train stations and doorways. Some will even ride public transport throughout the night to keep out of the cold. In addition, Reaching Out also struggles to provide rough sleepers with the necessary items needed to keep them warm and safe.
However, on the last Monday before Christmas, the charity’s cooks make around 100 Christmas Dinners to be served up, along with a selection box and a Christmas card.
Alison said: “We do everything we can to celebrate Christmas with everyone and make it as
special as possible but emotionally, it can take its toll on the team knowing that some of our friends will spend Christmas on the streets.”
Despite providing the bare necessities, Reaching Out also offer a place for people to come and have a chat:
“We have our regulars who come to see us each week and over time we’ve gotten to know a lot of them and their lives. Each week we have a laugh and a joke and also some serious conversations which has made us a safe space for people to come to,” Alison said.
“Real change can only come from the Council and the Government. We love what we do but we shouldn’t have to as nobody should be homeless in this country.”
There are many ways to support Reaching Out. People can volunteer their time by going out on a Monday evening or you can cook for them monthly.
The charity also takes donations of money, clothing and have an Amazon Wishlist that people can buy supplies from. In addition, people can get in touch with via their social media pages.
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Featured image (c) Edith Toner
