£10,000 boost for Salisbury's homeless through HOPE Project
Wiltshire Council partner Tarmac have made a big donation
Last updated 28th Nov 2023
A £10,000 donation is benefiting the homeless in Salisbury through the Salisbury HOPE project.
It's come as a result of Wiltshire Council's partnership with contractor, Tarmac, who are responsible for resurfacing up to 15km of the roads in the county.
The 10k of funding has gone to Homelessness charity Alabare and Sanctuary Supported Living's John Baker House, who both work with the HOPE Project.
They both provided assisted living accommodation and work with people in Salisbury to live independently.
Vanessa Bedford from Alabare told us helping the homeless has benefits for all of us.
She said: "If you get someone off the street and then they go into work, it's a win-win for everybody.
It's a win for them because they've got good self esteem, it's a win for the community because that person is not on the street anymore and they're contributing to the community they are working in a shop or they're paying their council tax."
Vanessa told us that homeless people's feet suffer a lot.
When the weather is poor and a homeless person's feet get wet, they can end up with symptoms akin to Trench Foot. But the HOPE funding allows Alabaré to help.
"We had a client come in and come to live with us on a permanent basis and their feet were so badly damaged out of that money we were able to buy them some open toed proper sandals that could support their feet and allow their feet to repair," Vanessa told us.
But it's more than physical support that can be enhanced through the funding.
The homeless may have no way of communicating their needs to the right services. The funding gives Alabaré the ability to get basic phones, something many us take for granted, to the homeless, allowing them to make doctors appointments or arrange accommodation through the council.
Nigel Holpin, general manager for Tarmac, said: “As part of our ongoing relationship with Wiltshire Council and commitment to the local community, we’re hugely proud to be able to support Alabare and John Baker House with this much-needed funding.
“Through the Salisbury HOPE project, both organisations are making a real difference locally and helping to ensure that people who need it most have the best possible support under challenging circumstances.”
Local Service Manager at John Baker House, Matthew Lacey, said: “We’re very grateful for this boost which will enable us to increase the current provision of specialist support for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Any additional funding goes a long way and makes a big difference to our customers as we support them on their pathways for independence.”