Charity says Christmas is toughest time for people sleeping rough
Let’s Feed Brum highlights growing need as hundreds of emergency beds disappear
A Birmingham homelessness charity says Christmas can be one of the hardest times of year for people living on the streets or in temporary accommodation.
Alan Strang from Let’s Feed Brum said the festive period can be especially painful for those without stable housing. “Christmas time is a terrible time of the year for those within the community living rough or living in temporary accommodation” he said. “And one can only imagine how they feel.”
He said the charity focuses on creating moments of warmth and connection during the holidays. “At Let’s Feed Brum, we do everything in our power to make those moments that we have with them as happy and as friendly as possible” he said.
This weekend, the charity is hosting a large Christmas event. “On Saturday we’ve got a full Christmas sit-down lunch for over 250 people,” Strang said. “We provide special breakfasts.”
He stressed that food alone is not enough. “It’s not just the food, it’s the friendship that makes the difference” he said. “That in no way goes to replacing the family Christmases that the rest of us may enjoy, but we regard the community out there as a community that we’re part of.”
Strang said the aim over Christmas is simple. “Hopefully that’s the best that we can hope to do over the Christmas period, to put a smile on the faces of the people that we support,” he said.
He also warned that demand for homelessness support has risen sharply over the past year. “The needs have changed dramatically, certainly over the last 12 months” he said.
Strang pointed to the loss of emergency accommodation across the city. “We’ve seen Washington Court close, we’ve seen the Salvation Army beds” he said. “That’s nearly 400 beds that have left the city in just 12 months.”
He said the reduction in available beds has had a direct impact. “The chance of providing that has really impacted on the number of people sleeping rough,” he said.