As Birmingham lives through a local lockdown and people are once again urged to stay at home, the city’s charities, hostels and soup kitchens continue to rally together in order to help those facing homelessness. To help alleviate the pressures being felt, Heart of England Community Foundation and Deutsche Bank have launched a new joint grant in order to help the city’s vital homeless charities.
The Deutsche Bank Opportunity Fund, created alongside Heart of England, will support charities and voluntary organisations that are working around the clock to address and reduce homelessness across Birmingham. With grants up to £5,000 available, the fund aims to help those affected or at risk of homelessness in the city.
Before the pandemic, Birmingham’s homeless rates were at an all-time high after Shelter named it one of the worst affected in the UK: in the city, it was reported that 1 in 119 people were without a home. Now, with the continuous knock-on effects of COVID-19 being felt – including higher unemployment rates, reduced income, and a national recession – many are now facing the prospect of losing their homes and financial security.
To help alleviate the pressure that is facing the homelessness services in the city at this crucial moment, the fund has been created to help local groups scale-up support. The funds awarded will extend a helping hand to break the cycle of homelessness, finding accommodation for those rough sleeping, as well as those who are part of the ‘hidden homeless’ demographic, currently living in unsafe conditions or in overcrowded temporary accommodation.
The fund has been launched in order to help society’s most disadvantaged and will support Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility mission of enabling communities and economies to prosper.
