Warm-hearted readers have boosted the Nottingham Post's Christmas campaign by giving generously to support the city's rough sleepers and other homeless people. Two individuals have each given £500 and we have just received a cheque for £1,000 from another private donor. It means our appeal, in support of the homelessness charity Framework's Off the Streets initiative, is now almost halfway towards its target. Read more: Beer garden brawl left man with facial injuries We aim to raise £30,000 to replace the vital funds lost to Framework when, for reasons beyond its control, the organisation was obliged to cancel its biggest fund-raising event – the annual sponsored sleep-out. The latest donations bring our fund up to £13,396 and the appeal has been further buoyed by a commitment from Nottingham Rugby Football Club to organise a fund-raising event. Framework chief Andrew Redfern: 'We need continued support' Since our appeal was launched this autumn, we have been asked what happens to donors' money.
If a reader gives a fiver or a tenner to the cause, how will Framework spend it? And how can a bigger gift – say, £50 or £100 – be used to improve a homeless person's chances of finding accommodation for good? A fiver banked by Framework has the potential to get five rough sleepers into safer, healthier lifestyles. It represents the cost of answering and responding to five phone calls by or on behalf of rough sleepers in Nottingham. The calls, received by members of the charity's street outreach team, are often the first contact between Framework and rough sleepers – and could be the starting point for turning a life around. It takes only a tenner to give a homeless person a Christmas. Five pounds buys a festive meal for Framework clients and another fiver buys a gift. "We make sure everyone in a hostel has a gift, which could be something useful like toiletries," said a spokesman. Framework expects to serve 600 Christmas dinners this year. A fiver can provide a homeless person with a Christmas dinner Twenty pounds can do something useful for people struggling to keep their home or find their feet after being found accommodation.
Your £20 cheque could fund a heating allowance for a household in crisis. "If the residents are struggling with their budget and must make decisions like whether to buy food or heat their homes," said the spokesman, "the allowance can be a help." Fifty pounds, spent well, can provide the essentials for someone in new accommodation: "Something to sit on, something to sleep on and something to cook with," according to the Framework spokesman. Typically that would mean a second-hand armchair and bed, and a simple cooker or some pots and pans. A gift of £100 would be gratefully received by Framework's street outreach team. The sum would pay for a three-hour early-morning patrol by two staff working with Nottingham's rough sleepers. In the last few weeks Framework and its partners have actually managed to reduce rough sleeping in Nottingham. After hitting a 20-year high this autumn, with 39 rough sleepers recorded in mid-November, the total this week is just nine. Read more: Burglars steal ashes of pet dog That is down to two factors.
The first is the annual opening of the winter shelter. The shelter, which rotates between a list of local halls, provides overnight accommodation during the winter and early spring. The second factor is the engagement of bed and breakfast businesses as emergency back-up when hostel places are full. But do not be surprised if rough sleeping totals return to the higher level once the winter shelter closes. "With the help of the Nottingham Post, Framework and its partners are responding locally," said the charity's chief executive Andrew Redfern. "Thanks to good partnerships, with the city council, the winter shelter and bed and breakfast providers, we have brought rough sleeping down to single figures. Read more: Children and parents locked in football training ground "Now the winter measures are operational the most important thing is to provide longer-term support to re-settle people successfully. We also need to meet needs in the rest of the county – needs that are equally acute – and we hope to make progress there.
"I would like to thank everyone who has contributed so far, but we need continued support." The underlying increase in rough sleeping is believed by Framework to be down to welfare reform, reduced national investment in housing and support and a lack of assistance for non-UK nationals.The public spending squeeze has affected grants to local authorities – and while Nottingham City Council has been able to maintain most of its services, budget cuts by neighbouring authorities has tended to cause more homeless people to gravitate from county to city. An outreach patrol checks on a rough sleeper in Lister Gate, NottinghamAt the height of this year's crisis, Framework's street outreach manager Jason Marriott said: "Many rough sleepers have multiple and complex needs that must be taken into account when trying to place them in suitable housing. Read more: Two sexual assaults in Nottingham suburb "The lack of capacity here and elsewhere limits our options. Sometimes, and much more frequently than in the past, there are none.
This is why the numbers are rising so fast." Or you can send cheques, made payable to Framework, to Katrina Harris at Nottingham Post, 3rd Floor, City Gate, Tollhouse Hill, Nottingham, NG1 5FS. or call 0115 905 1951. Looking to Sell your used Furniture?Skip to the contentTransporting large furniture to and from your house, can be done quite simply and at a reasonable cost. If it’s just a chest of drawers or a few chairs, you can often find space for them in your own car. If you don’t drive or have to ship larger items, moving furniture yourself starts to become a lot more complicated. Trying to fit tables and wardrobes into the family hatchback is by no means an easy task; which is why sometimes it’s preferable to employ the services of a furniture delivery company or a local man and van.There are lots of reasons you might be looking to book furniture transport, for example, taking things in and out of storage is one common reason. Buying furniture online is becoming more popular, especially buying second-hand furniture on eBay.If you’re buying furniture online, whether it is through eBay or another service, you may find that the seller won’t arrange delivery for the customer and a lot of goods will be listed as collection only.
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